As a taxpayer in both Chapel Hill and Orange County, and as a lifelong supporter of library funding, I now find that I strongly oppose following through with current library expansion plans at the town and county levels.
If completed as planned, an addition to the Chapel Hill Public Library will add more than 35,000 square feet to its current 27,000 square feet, and a new Southwest Branch of the Orange County Library planned for Carrboro will add 20,000 square feet to the temporary space contributed now by McDougle School and the Cybrary in the Carrboro Century Center.
We are about to nearly triple our bricks-and-mortar library capacity in Chapel Hill and Carrboro at a time when ebook library lending is in its infancy; usage of ebook readers such as Nooks, Kindles and iPads is exploding; and we have one old library building at 523 Franklin St. that sits virtually abandoned and deteriorating.
Does it make sense to move forward with these huge public-building plans when our local tax bases are struggling from prolonged recession and from the coming 18 percent cut in state support for our university? Does it make sense to ignore the emerging digital revolution in public reading habits in favor of expanding traditional library systems?Â
I urge our elected officials and those seeking elected office to reconsider these plans before spending the $23 million in capital costs and $3 million a year in added operating costs called for by the plans. It is not too late to make sure that tax dollars are being spent wisely.
Gary Barnes
Chapel Hill
2 thoughts on “Letter: Does a library expansion make sense?”
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Very well stated. I will add that I never found the Chapel Hill Library too busy to use.
I completely agree. I spend much time at the library, have never found it to be overcrowded or have had a problem parking or not been able to borrow a particular book within a reasonable time. The digital revolution is probably the strongest reason of all to abandon the expansion plan.