Letter: Count on them

Published 12:15 am Saturday, November 30, 2024

I have been a patron of the Timberland libraries since I moved to Ocean Park in 2002. I love libraries and count on them.

I am saddened by the administrative action at the Naselle library to have what the website calls expanded services. That is inaccurate and hurtful.

For senior adults like me, that has produced three major problems:

• Learning: Older adults often need help to print or copy items on the library printer, to order books through interlibrary loan, and to find resources to do research.

• Community: Several groups use the library’s conference room; it’s the only such place in the small town of Naselle. Also, having staff and others who know us counters the personal isolation that is a major issue, here and nationally.

• Safety: I use a cane for balance. Using a lock and key to enter a branch library is not safe. Being alone in a small space, even with a smartphone, is a risk not worth taking. Without library staff and minus Saturdays as open days, Naselle would become unsafe and unappealing for people of all ages.

During COVID our libraries found creative ways to connect with people and get them books. Years earlier, both Ocean Park and Ilwaco libraries were slated to be closed, until patrons spoke up in large numbers. Naselle is a small and isolated town. But it’s also full of good schools, churches and people of all ages who depend on their library.

I ask that library trustees and administration reconsider.

BARBARA BATE

Ocean Park, Washington