BradfordToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via our website. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a letter regarding the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library workers’ strike, published Sept. 11.
In response to another writer who suggested that libraries might not be relevant anymore: Libraries are not only still very relevant but they are also necessary.
As a longtime resident of Bradford whose family uses the library regularly, we have noticed it is not only a place to get physical copies of materials (books, movies, video games), but also a place for people to access a warm building, a washroom, a free seminar on a variety of topics, photocopying, internet and so much more. It is a place that is always bustling with parents and young children who are looking for ways to connect and keep their children actively engaged in a social environment.
For many years, we used it as a way to get out of the house during the day and meet other parents at story time. Even now, with children who have outgrown story time, we utilize the library regularly for chapters, craft programs and other special events, which are always packed with people and often difficult to even sign up for due to the interest from the community. The library is also a space to host many community organizations that deliver informative sessions.
My husband said it well when the library staff first told us about the threat to strike: “The library is one of the only spaces someone can go for free, with zero expectation to buy something. They can access internet to apply to jobs, print a resumé and have a warm place to spend the day.”
So, I disagree with the other writer. The library is one of the most relevant resources in our community today. We just need to open our minds and recognize it goes beyond the books.
Michelle Lubberts
Bradford
