Another Open Letter to BOS in Support of Samuels Library

My name is Ever McKinney, and I am writing to support Samuels Public Library and the continuation of its funding in full.

In 2012, I was divorced and out of a job.  I had recently moved back to Warren County and had to restart my life from the ground up.  For four months, I spent nearly every day at Samuels Public Library building my resume and looking for a job, using the library’s Internet, databases, computers, and printing service.  I had no money to spend at Royal Oak Bookshop or Amazon.com, so I kept myself entertained with the library’s books and media.  After four months of persistence, I found a great job and used the fax service at Samuels to send in my acceptance letter.  This job eventually enabled me to start taking night classes to further my education.  Had I not had Samuels available to me, I do not know how long it would have taken me to get my life back on track like this.

I have no doubt that there are others using Samuels the exact same way I did and that there are other people using the library for more than just books.  I was also lucky enough to have a car to my name to drive my ten miles to Samuels.  If Samuels closes, I can drive myself into the next county, but we all know that there are many people for whom that kind of transportation isn’t so readily available.  We also know that parts of this county still struggle with adequate Internet and even telephone service.   Withholding funding for the public library will not do anyone here any favors and will instead create obstacles to much-needed information access and connection to the world at large.

The roots of Samuels Public Library were established by charter in 1799.  This was the year before the Library of Congress was established and 24 years before the Library of Virginia was formally recognized.  Contrary to what has been expressed by others, this was incredibly progressive thinking in a place where our ancestors were still working out what Front Royal and Warren County meant to them as home, as well as a building block of Virginia. This kind of thinking persists today when people step into Samuels for a chance to enrich their lives and strengthen their bond with Warren County’s history and community.

Please do not let 2023 be the last year of Samuels Public Library’s service to Warren County.  Please let it continue to connect people with resources to better their lives.

Thank you,

Ever C. McKinney
Warren County

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