Newspaper: Wrong time to cut library funding

With state and municipal budgets on the brink, politicians are looking at areas to cut. One of the most popular targets is funding for public libraries.

Cutting back support for public libraries is the worst thing to do during tough economic times because people tend to use libraries more, according to an editorial in The Pottstown Mercury.

From the editorial:

The irony of the proposed cuts made necessary by a tough economy is that this current financial climate has placed library services in greater demand.

Families that cannot afford computers at home take their children for homework and school research. People who are laid off use the online resources at the library to look for jobs. The argument that a public library merely duplicates what is available in schools fails to take into account the hours and public access that are available at a public library.

And, there is only one public library in the Pottstown area to serve the entire region.

Those making the decisions to cut library funding must remember that not everyone has those luxuries, and the services provided are necessities for people to find jobs and further their education.

Libraries are not just for fun, and providing stable funding to keep the Pottstown Public Library open is necessary for the well-being of people in the borough and surrounding areas.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.