The people have spoken. An overwhelming majority of voters – at least a majority of those who cared enough about the issue to go to the polls – have voted down a proposal to spend $20.8 million to renovate the Main Branch of the Great Neck Library.
In the wake of this vote the library board has agreed that the renovation of the library will not include and expansion of the facility. The results of the vote were staggering. More than 4,200 voters turned out. The plan lost 2,924 to 1,286.
The board will now return to discussions on how to renovate the Main Branch. We are disappointed but we respect the democratic process.
What does concern us is that some people will see the vote as a message that in the age of the Internet libraries have outlived their usefulness.
Speaking out at a meeting of the library board, Jeff Whitehorn said. “I’ve got a little device that’s a computer that can do anything I want and I don’t need a library. Is it not possible that libraries are like the horse and buggy?”
We disagree. The library has not become irrelevant. Libraries are more than simply warehouses for books. The library brings the community together from small children to retirees. It helps the people to organize and preserve information in its many forms including books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and the Internet.
And while the Internet is useful it can also present the user with an overload of information, much it useless. As they have done for hundreds of years, libraries will have to change with the times. But we believe libraries, whether they are in the town square, a college campus or a corporate headquarters, are as important today as they have ever been.
A Blank Slate Media Editorial
