In response to the Jan. 27 letter describing libraries as luxuries, I would instead argue they are services as essential as fire departments, city clerks offices, schools, and other municipal infrastructures. Libraries are the last remaining place where all people are welcomed. They serve as community meeting spaces, warming centers in the cold weather, and cooling centers in the summer heat. They offer free programs for all ages, whether story times for babies and toddlers, job hunting sessions for teens, local author talks, or craft programs for all ages as well as information sessions from local social service agencies.
Need information on how to write a resume? Go to the library. Looking for a DVD for family movie night? Go to the library. Do you want to set up a new email address and don’t know how? Or do you need a study room for a couple of hours so you can work in peace or have a Zoom meeting not at home? Go to the library.
Libraries offer materials for entertainment as well as edification, all for free. At the Greenfield Public Library if you get a due date slip, the amount of money you have saved by borrowing materials rather than buying them is printed at the bottom of the slip. Are supermarkets and hospitals necessary? Of course, as are churches, synagogues, and mosques. But so are libraries. As a librarian myself, I see the impact we have on our patrons on a daily basis, even more so when economic times are tough. Libraries exist to level the playing field for everyone.
Lisa Prolman
South Deerfield