http://www.dailyadvance.com/node/2101271
The issue:The new Camden County Public Library officially opened July 1 in the Camden Business Park in Belcross.
Our position:The new library marks a milestone for the county and its residents who will benefit from a variety of resources the facility offers for cultural, informational and educational advancement.
Congratulations all around for officials, educators, patrons and citizens who persevered in establishing a public library in Camden County.
Some may rightly focus on the achievement of ridding Camden the distinction of being the only county in North Carolina without its own public library, but hosting the facility has greater implications that enhance quality of life in any community. If they have not done so already, Camden residents will soon realize the intrinsic value of hosting their own library.
After much anticipation, the 5,000-book library opened July 1 at 104 Investor’s Way at the Camden Business Park in Belcross. The modern facility gives patrons access to both, a world of traditional literary treasure and informational resources accessed via the Internet and computers. In those pursuits Camden County Public Library, will play a fundamental role in the lives of local residents, current and future.
Even today, more Americans still go to school libraries and public and academic libraries than go to the movies. In many regions, public libraries serve as an economic anchor, and in hard times, they provide important resources to families and job seekers, according to the American Library Association.
Currently, public libraries are the number one point of online access for those without Internet connections at home, school or work. And libraries are cost-efficient. Americans on average check out more than seven books a year at libraries on which they spend about $33.56 in taxes to support — about the average cost of one hardcover book.
It was just last November when the Camden County Board of Commissioners voted to create a local library after partnering for 70 years with Pasquotank County in offering library services.
Camden County, which has been trying to attract economic growth and become less reliant on its neighbors for basic services, decided to finally end its partnership with Pasquotank County for use of the W.C. Witherspoon Memorial Library in Elizabeth City, which is a part of the East Albemarle Regional Library system.
Camden will now re-direct money that had been going to Pasquotank to its own library in the upcoming budget.
One advantage of that new direction, according to Camden County Attorney John Morrison, is that unlike before, Camden will now own the books and resources it buys rather than simply using them under the prior arrangement with Pasquotank.
Camden’s new library services occupy a spacious 6,800-square-foot foot facility manned by a five-person library staff.
“When you walk through the front door, it feels cheerful,” said Librarian Linda VanSistine-Yost at the recent grand opening. She left her job as librarian of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library in Edenton to head the new Camden library.
Besides VanSistine-Yost, there are two full-time and two part-time assistants who helped catalog all the new materials.
In addition to books there are DVD’s for loan, 10 computer stations with access to the Internet, a special section for children, a community meeting room, a “‘tween teen” reading section and the usual adult fiction and non-fiction sections.
Unfortunately, across the country many cash-strapped cities are opting to sell their libraries to plug budget holes. That’s a mistake on many levels in a nation guided by democratic principles and participatory government. Also, certain services and institutions — such as public education, police protection, etc. — need the guiding hand of the public’s interest and public accountability. Libraries, we believe, fit easily into the realm of what is in the public’s interest.
That sense of value and tradition have convinced many citizens to bequeath their collections and fortunes to public libraries, where access to information, history and man’s thoughts on it all is made available free to the public. Libraries are for the people — a living institution for enriching lives and opening doors.
Our position:The new library marks a milestone for the county and its residents who will benefit from a variety of resources the facility offers for cultural, informational and educational advancement.
Congratulations all around for officials, educators, patrons and citizens who persevered in establishing a public library in Camden County.
Some may rightly focus on the achievement of ridding Camden the distinction of being the only county in North Carolina without its own public library, but hosting the facility has greater implications that enhance quality of life in any community. If they have not done so already, Camden residents will soon realize the intrinsic value of hosting their own library.
After much anticipation, the 5,000-book library opened July 1 at 104 Investor’s Way at the Camden Business Park in Belcross. The modern facility gives patrons access to both, a world of traditional literary treasure and informational resources accessed via the Internet and computers. In those pursuits Camden County Public Library, will play a fundamental role in the lives of local residents, current and future.
Even today, more Americans still go to school libraries and public and academic libraries than go to the movies. In many regions, public libraries serve as an economic anchor, and in hard times, they provide important resources to families and job seekers, according to the American Library Association.
Currently, public libraries are the number one point of online access for those without Internet connections at home, school or work. And libraries are cost-efficient. Americans on average check out more than seven books a year at libraries on which they spend about $33.56 in taxes to support — about the average cost of one hardcover book.
It was just last November when the Camden County Board of Commissioners voted to create a local library after partnering for 70 years with Pasquotank County in offering library services.
Camden County, which has been trying to attract economic growth and become less reliant on its neighbors for basic services, decided to finally end its partnership with Pasquotank County for use of the W.C. Witherspoon Memorial Library in Elizabeth City, which is a part of the East Albemarle Regional Library system.
Camden will now re-direct money that had been going to Pasquotank to its own library in the upcoming budget.
One advantage of that new direction, according to Camden County Attorney John Morrison, is that unlike before, Camden will now own the books and resources it buys rather than simply using them under the prior arrangement with Pasquotank.
Camden’s new library services occupy a spacious 6,800-square-foot foot facility manned by a five-person library staff.
“When you walk through the front door, it feels cheerful,” said Librarian Linda VanSistine-Yost at the recent grand opening. She left her job as librarian of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library in Edenton to head the new Camden library.
Besides VanSistine-Yost, there are two full-time and two part-time assistants who helped catalog all the new materials.
In addition to books there are DVD’s for loan, 10 computer stations with access to the Internet, a special section for children, a community meeting room, a “‘tween teen” reading section and the usual adult fiction and non-fiction sections.
Unfortunately, across the country many cash-strapped cities are opting to sell their libraries to plug budget holes. That’s a mistake on many levels in a nation guided by democratic principles and participatory government. Also, certain services and institutions — such as public education, police protection, etc. — need the guiding hand of the public’s interest and public accountability. Libraries, we believe, fit easily into the realm of what is in the public’s interest.
That sense of value and tradition have convinced many citizens to bequeath their collections and fortunes to public libraries, where access to information, history and man’s thoughts on it all is made available free to the public. Libraries are for the people — a living institution for enriching lives and opening doors.
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