Issue 1 a terrific value

In just six days, Amherst Public Library district residents will vote in a special election. Now, the Board of Elections calls it a special election because it falls in between the regularly scheduled general election in November and the regularly scheduled primary election in May.

But this election is special because it gives voters the chance to better fulfill its mission "to educate, enlighten, empower, and entertain." Of course, they have been doing a fine job of this already, as evidenced by their 2009 annual report.

The library had nearly a quarter million visitors last year, who checked out more than 290,000 items. Those visitors also logged 20,442 computer sessions on library computers.

Almost 23,000 children, teens, adults, and seniors participated in free public programs sponsored by the library, and about 1,700 people attended meetings held by community groups at the library. In addition, library staff made 2,992 outreach visits to facilities and homebound patrons, bringing the resources of the library to them.

And those resources are growing. Last year the library added 8,821 new items to its collection.

These numbers indicate an unprecedented increase in demand for library services. This could be due to the troubled economy, but we believe it is also due to the value residents see in the many and varied services offered.

Unfortunately, the services offered have outgrown the library space. So the board of trustees has authorized an expansion, pending voter approval of Issue 1, a 1.17-mill bond issue that will generate $11 million over 28 years.

The project will more than double the library's current space in order to better serve patrons and provide room for expanded materials and programs. Features include a large community room with attached kitchen, a computer lab with free classes on popular software programs, and a drive-up window for pick-up and return of items.

We frankly can not think the owner of a $100,00 home could find a better value for less than $3 per month. We urge residents to go to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 2, and vote a resounding "yes" on Issue 1.