Is the library increase reasonable? Yes.

To the editor: One of the things that sets the United States apart from much of the rest of the world is its public library system. The concept of freedom of information, provided by public libraries, is unique to democratic nations where the library preserves and promotes our culture. There is a burst of library construction nation-wide because the need for library services has outstripped the spaces available to provide those services. Our 80-year-old building was conceived and built in another age. It did not have to accommodate independent individuals with physical disabilities. It did not have to accommodate bright lighting for evening hours, wiring for air-conditioning, data cable for Internet access. It did not have to provide community space for programs, or parking for visitors. Our library staff has done a super job of attempting to accommodate growth and change within the confines of the space available to it. But the Albert Wisner Library is inadequate to provide the full range of 21st century services expected of a library in a community the size of Warwick. The building was never intended to accommodate the volume of traffic to which it is daily subjected. There are private homes being built throughout Warwick of the size of this public building. The one service my family receives for the taxes we pay in the Warwick Valley School District is the public library. This applies to all families comprised entirely of adults or adults and pre-school children. A new library building will serve this community for the next 80 years and we have the opportunity to make that happen. Are my taxes high? Yes. Is the increase being asked for the library necessary and reasonable? Yes. Pauline Kehoe and Robert Devino Warwick