So much more than books

Thank you for Jim Kershner’s wise words regarding libraries (June 5). Today more then ever the public library is the poor man’s university.

The library is the one place you have control of getting your money’s worth from your tax dollar; all you have to do is use it. Today there are still many homes without a computer and many more without fast Internet, but it’s available to all at the library.

We do get information in a different way today from even a generation ago, but there is still much to be said for the comfort of a book in the hands and the smiling face at the circulation desk. Libraries are so much more than information; they are the social center that is neutral, the place of refuge for those, children and adults, whose home is wanting, the place to recharge the creative batteries or calm the inner storm.

“I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.” – Carl Sagan, “Cosmos”

Diane Newcomer

Clark Fork, Idaho