Retired Public School Teachers and Staff Urge County to Fully Fund Library

Dear Warren County Board of Supervisors,

We, the Warren County Retired Teachers/Warren County Retired School Personnel, write to ask for your support for Samuel’s Library by fully funding it, keeping its book collection intact, and agreeing to the current Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) drafted by the Library Board of Trustees.

We understand that the crux of this problem lies in objections to some books that contain themes that pertain to life in the LGBTQ+ community.

We also understand that Samuel’s Library, as stated in its MOA, has proposed a solution to this problem by developing two additional types of library cards and by creating a “New Adult” section in the library that would house books deemed appropriate for patrons 16 years of age and older.

That seems more than reasonable to us.

The alternative — shuttering Samuel’s Library — does not seem reasonable to us at all. It would negatively impact our community by depriving everyone of a safe place in which to bring our families to learn and develop lives shaped by information and ideas. The library offers all children a place to continue learning when schools are closed, especially in the summer months. It offers access to inter-library book and material loans, access to safe internet connectivity, and access to federal, state, and local government programs and assistance, among many other services.

As former teachers and school personnel, we believe in the importance of libraries for K-12 students. Libraries enhance reading skills, social skills, and literacy development, all of which may have a lifelong impact on personal and professional success.

We believe that Samuel’s Library is the jewel in the crown of Warren County. To shutter it may result in unspeakable damage to its residents for generations to come.

We ask for this letter to be entered into the public record.

Respectively yours,

Warren County Retired Teachers
Warren County Retired School Personnel

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