Investing in a community resource

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: December 2, 2008

Investing in our libraries and consolidating the western branches in Madison and Mayodan should continue to be a priority, even during a recession—most especially during a recession.
Jay Stephens, library director, told us last week that circulation is up 13 percent from last year, while attendance at library programs has risen 15 percent.
Stephens credited part of the jump to his staff. By making people feel welcome and at ease, patrons want to return.
But the biggest reason for the increase in community participation, he said, may rest with the unsettled economy.
“Money is tight,” Stephens told staff writer Mike Ryan. “People are looking for things to do that are low-cost or no-cost. We’re an alternative.”
An even better alternative will someday become a reality for western Rockingham County, where the Madison and Mayodan branches – just a couple of miles apart—operate on alternating – and sometimes confusing—schedules. Library volunteers and county officials are looking to build a 12,500-square-foot, $2.5 million facility on property donated for that purpose by the late Dalton L. McMichael between Ayersville Road and Burton Street in Madison, which is near the border with Mayodan.
The Friends of the Western Rockingham Public Libraries Used Bookstore, at 105 Second Ave. in Mayodan, will help raise money for the new library. The store will be open every Friday and Saturday until Christmas with 50 percent off on everything, and we encourage residents to buy from the store, as well as offer donations.
In addition to books, CDs and DVDs, the county libraries offer computers—with Internet access – allowing residents to, for example, look for jobs, complete online applications and submit items to their local newspaper.
The library helps form the bedrock of any community, opening a world of books and literature to people barely old enough to turn the pages. We all need to take advantage of this great resource and to do whatever we can to enhance the library system, including the construction of the Madison-Mayodan Public Library.