Library will cost you same as double meat Wreck
Geneva needs a new library like a hole in the head. You know, like the holes we hear with, breathe with, and eat and drink with. In other words, we need it to stay alive.
What will it cost? If you live in a $300,000 dollar home, about the same as a monthly Potbelly's Wreck with Double Meat. The library's meal, however, will cater to your taste and appetite for the entire month.
What's on the menu? Millions of books, newspapers, magazines. Recorded books. Music CDs. DVDs. Free use of computers and the internet, plus access to conventional and 3D printing. Tech space for STEM projects. Meeting rooms for book discussions and tutorials. Early literacy play areas. Equipment checkout. Outdoor reading/program and commons area. Not to mention a drive-up drop-off and on-site parking.
The present library is dying. Costly reconstruction won't work due to infrastructure issues. The building's landlocked, so forget additions. Operational costs are skyrocketing. Heating and air conditioning systems are on life support.
If you think a library functions only to hold books, you're mistaken. Last year, 3,458 people joined reading clubs; 24,000 came to programs; over 600,000 items were checked out; monthly visits averaged 22,000; nearly 17,000 residents own library cards.
If you're worried about the price, don't be. Your house will be that much more valuable with a library reflecting Geneva's educational, technological, entertainment, and community priorities.
A library board member compared the purpose of a library to yesterday's front porch, where the neighborhood gathers. Today's library also mirrors a medieval cathedral; near the town's center, it reflects the town's soul.
Give yourself a late Christmas gift - of education, entertainment, and community - by voting for the library referendum in April.
Pass the word - billions of them.
Richard Holinger
Geneva