Hillsboro Library is in the midst of a fund-raising book sale, and readers are gobbling up some bargains. More than 60,000 items – fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, cookbooks, reference, mysteries, large print and audio, plus CDs, DVDs, videos and LPs – are on display at rock-bottom prices for Friends of the Library and its patrons. The sale began on Halloween and continues through Sunday, Nov. 9.
In a forward-thinking civilization, libraries are necessities, not second-class services, and they require imaginative streams of public funding to keep pace with demand. An ever-growing population knows the importance of literacy. Oregon funds its libraries enthusiastically, with the health of the local economy a prime benefactor.
Here in Hillsboro, Oregon, the main library’s 77,000-square-foot building opened in 2007 near Intel Corporation. Almost 300,000 items grace two floors, along with a quiet reading room with newspapers and magazines, study rooms, conference rooms and an art gallery area. The library also houses a “Storytime” room for young people and public computers.
By contrast, Pennsylvania’s meager funding for these bedrock institutions is impacting future generations. In Doylestown, a unique, picturesque town that celebrates a connection with hometown author James Michener, the strategy is to use public computers to displace titles.
A spartan countywide budget has cut staff to the bone and eliminated health-care benefits. In New Hope-Solebury, an affluent part of Bucks County, librarians face the threat of closure; over half of a $212,000 operating budget is derived from fund-raising.
When I attended the University of Florida in the early 1960s, one prerequisite course study entailed library science. Because I appear anal by nature, I aced the course, although I forgot much of what was taught over 50 years ago. These days, I still revere the concept of a disciplined approach to cataloging print matter.
My grandmother, Grace Johnston, was a full-fledged librarian, and my mother, Thelma, a lifelong English teacher. I can only imagine what my life would have been like without their access to a reputable library.
Do yourself a favor; visit Hillsboro’s marvelous, lakefront edifice and discover the treasures therein. Hours are 10-9 weekdays, 10-6 Saturdays and 12-6 Sundays. The address is 2850 NE Brookwood Parkway with plenty of free parking.
