Love the library? Then vote Yes on Measure A

Published on Page 2 of the August 7, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life:

By Carol O’Hare

I am a member of the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library and have served five times as its president. In 2006 I was chair of the committee that raised $225,000 to install art and furnishings in the new Morgan Hill library through the Beyond Books campaign.

During the last library parcel tax campaign, I served as co-chair in Morgan Hill. Like many citizens of Morgan Hill, I love our community library. Selfishly, I love our library because it has the books that I want to read, because if my Internet service at home goes down I can use the library computers, and because the staff can assist me in finding information not readily available on the web.

But for me what’s really important is all that our library provides for the community. I always smile when I see preschoolers coming for story-time or selecting stacks of books on their own to take home. At that young age, they are learning the love of reading and the delight that books can bring. After school, the library is full of students doing research for classes or using computers to do their homework. They already know the value of the library and its resources. Adults, too, regularly come for books, magazines, speakers and events.

An excellent library system, such as the one we have in Santa Clara County, provides other benefits to our community. It gives our young people a positive place to go after school and do their homework. It adds value to real estate property by enhancing our schools and our town’s quality of life. And it helps residents develop their job and career skills to improve their economic productivity.

Libraries don’t come for free. They need community support. The library parcel tax that has been in place for 20 years provides 18 percent of the budget. Without it, there will be cuts in programs and services, fewer open hours, reductions in staff and materials.
I encourage everyone to vote Yes on Measure A to ensure that our library keeps providing the same quality services without raising taxes. Vote Yes on Measure A, so that we continue to have this valuable resource available for our children, teens and all our citizens.

Carol O’Hare is a member of the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library.