To The Reader’s Forum:

If you think that libraries are no longer relevant in the age of Google and Alexa, then you haven’t stood outside of the James Prendergast Libary on a Saturday morning at 9:50. I was there this past Saturday with at least a dozen other people waiting for the doors to open. Libraries are not just a warehouse for books; they are the center of a community. They provide literacy training for children and adults, computer training, access to computers and free WiFi, foreign language instruction, DVDs, CDs, print books and ebooks, newspapers, meeting spaces, tax assistance, and many other programs.

Libraries are the doorway to discovery, curiosity, and knowledge. Their contents allow us to travel the universe. Without a library, how would Jamestown ever hope to attract and retain new businesses and employees?

There would be no story hours, no access to computers for people wishing to complete on-line applications, no reference books for local students. A town that closes its library might as well post its own “closed” sign.

Valerie Weber

Jamestown