Opinion

Valuing the library

|Letter from Tom and Mary Beth Johnson|

We have been residents of New Gloucester since August of 1971. 
For all of the decades that we have been in New Gloucester, we have been faithful patrons of the NGPL, which many say is “the heartbeat of our town.”   Increasingly, our library has reached out in many creative and useful ways to our community from story time, to sleepovers for young patrons, to pet shows, to book groups for different ages, to plays, Cabin Fever Book and Bake Sales, etc. etc.  The list is endless! It is a safe place for students young and old to come to pursue their interests and assignments by using books, periodicals, and computers which might otherwise not be available to them.

We are strongly opposed to any cuts to the library budget! Rather than make the library less accessible, every effort should be made to keep our two outstanding librarians and the current hours of operation along with no cuts to their operating budget.  It is unsettling and discouraging to see that while cuts to the library are being suggested, there are both an increase in  stipends for the selectmen being requested as well as a salary increase from $72,000 -$100,000 for the incoming town manager.    

Sincerely,
Tom and Mary Beth Johnson