Landslide vote means MH Library will now be open Mondays
Published on Page 1 of the September 4, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life.
By Peggy Tomasso
Peggy Tomasso, head librarian of Morgan Hill Library.
Measure A has passed, meaning library services will continue and improve.
During the past month, members of the Morgan Hill community have been asking themselves whether our public library is relevant: Does it provide a needed service to the community? Should they vote to support Measure A and continue to fund the library?
When going out into the community and presenting information about the library’s services, I realized that many people in the community didn’t know what a contemporary library has to offer. They were unaware that the library has Kindle books (and other e-books), magazines to download to iPads or other mobile devices, films on DVDs, or that we have a service that provides live tutors for students in grades 3 through college on almost any subject from 1 to 10 p.m. every day.
The library also offers full service computers, children’s story times, and special programs for children, teens and adults throughout the year.
Originally in this column, I was going to say that all the library’s services and materials are free (much like K-12 schooling is “free”). But nothing worth having is ever really free.
The Morgan Hill Library is supported by property taxes. Taxpayers have to decide what is worth paying for — fire, police, roads, schools, and, thankfully, libraries. When I’m asked if the library is worth the tax dollars that are spent on supporting it, I point to the library’s recent return on investment study (available on the Internet at www.sccl.org/about/ROI). This study found that for every dollar spent by the library district, the local community receives $2.50 to $5.17 in direct benefits.
I am so proud to be part of an institution that when the community asked itself the question of whether or not the library is worthy of their tax dollars residents voted a resounding “Yes.” So I have to give a huge heart-felt thank you to the Morgan Hill Community for supporting our public library and passing Measure A.
The Morgan Hill Library will now be able to focus on continuing to provide the superior services and variety of materials all our citizens have come to expect. The best news with the passage of Measure A, along with the new funds the library receives from the dissolving of the RDA, is that the library will be opening on Mondays starting Jan. 6, 2014. Mayor Steve Tate has been committed to find a way to get the library open an additional day of the week, and now that goal will become a reality.
Opening the library an additional day has been one of the overwhelming needs expressed by the community, and I am so excited about being able to expand our hours to include Mondays. This is great news for students who often did not have access to the library for materials and computers to complete their school assignments. It also benefits local job seekers and others who needed to use the resources of the library on Monday.
Thank you Morgan Hill for helping our community library be the very best it can be. You are the reason our library system has been ranked in the top ten library systems in the country for the past 10 years.
Peggy Tomasso is the head librarian of the Morgan Hill Library.
Measure A passed with 81.72 percent “Yes” votes to 18.28 percent “No” votes.
