Before our family moves to a new town, and sometimes when we visit, a first stop is the public library. As the heart of the community, the state of the library says much about its priorities: how it values preserving and sharing knowledge, its welcoming of a variety of people and perspectives, how much it fosters conversation and education. Our family lives libraries. They are a source of entertainment (movies, TV series, crafts), education (books, programs, online and in person language courses), computer literacy, to name a few. They have provided social connections and part-time employment for our grandchildren, guidance through consumer reports, ancestry and grant writing programs.

Our local South Hadley library, in addition to being a beautifully situated, architecturally appealing drop-in haven, features two community room spaces that are used regularly for a wide range of gatherings and programs. The interlibrary loan program makes it possible to access almost limitless materials free on request. It provides museum passes and computer enhancements with the scan of a library card. I can think of few if any services that serve so many so well, and that are so important to maintaining and sharing a common knowledge base for everyone. With the recent defunding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) all of this is under threat. Please stand up for preserving library funding by calling your legislators now and urge them to restore funding to this democracy bedrock post haste.

Karen Hyvonen

South Hadley