April

26, 2019

To Members of the Salem City Council: Our Libraries

At home, do you have a shelf or bookcases, maybe a whole wall, containing books
and family records that are important to you? With a glance you can find a book to
reread or introduce a guest to a favorite as well as a current “best seller”. When
certain books are neglected for a time, you do not box them up and give them away
or sell them for a fraction of their worth. What an uproar that would cause: “Where
is our….” or “What did you do with my…” It would be like throwing away a portion
of family history. To the contrary, you probably enjoy, as we do, adding to our
literary collection.

The books in our homes are sources of information, serve to recall familiar stories
or add to family enjoyment. A library serves the same purpose in a community,
keeping materials vital to the life of its residents. However, at our Salem City
Library, a new policy has been instituted that withdraws from our public collection
books that are not in popular circulation or of current interest. A third quality
recognized by other libraries is permanent value. That is missing in our current
library staff policy.

History and biography are the next sections of the library to be examined for
withdrawals by the library staff. Will they eliminate those books of “permanent
value” that help enlighten us about the truth of past events or personalities that can
serve as inspiration? Must we look for other city’s library resources when our local
institution fails us?

The many half empty library shelves testify to the damage already done to our
collection. Library users like myself are alarmed. In February, due to the large
number of local patrons wishing to speak on the subject, the Library Advisory Board
held their monthly meeting in Loucks Auditorium. Although testimony was
overwhelmingly against the further pruning of our collection, the LAB voted to
recommend to the City Council that the Big Weed be resumed. However, due to a
motion approved by our City Council on April 22, this policy is in abeyance until
further discussion by council.

Please look beyond the “bookstore” ideal of satisfying the current taste of the casual
reader. Consider the deeper mission of our city library as a resource for community
enlightenment. Treat our library collection with the same respect you give your
own. Act to preserve our city’s heritage in our library as you do at home.

Virginia Green