Revamp borough library system

To the editor:

I have read several articles in reference to $8.6 million shortage in school libraries. Shortages in the public libraries are to the point of raising our property taxes again, or charging $35 for a library card. I may be just a simple taxpayer and not a big political budget planner, but it seems to me the answer is simple. Close all the multitudes of fully stocked and expensive school libraries throughout the greater Valley area and maintain one large public library.

Maintain the rural libraries in those schools that are considered Bush. All the local schools already have a computer at practically every desk that I have seen, or at least wonderful huge computer labs — or both. Those computers can access every book in the world if those kids want to read at school.

If they want to take it home, they can go to the public library to check it out. We could also have a bookmobile visit the schools on a scheduled route so kids could check out a book in case they can’t afford to travel to the public library.

Schools could even use the so-called “in-service” days to bus the underprivileged kids to the public library.

I think it is extravagant for us as a relatively small community to even think of funding a fully stocked library in every local school as well as trying to have a fully stocked Mat-Su Borough public library. Let’s support one good, quality library we can afford, at possibly less of a tax burden, and end the piecemeal library system by trying to do something we can’t afford.

Hey, here’s an idea! Let’s go into debt to China to support our extravagant library wishes.

Jim Moberly

Wasilla

Editor’s note: The $8.6 million Mat-Su Borough School District budget shortfall is not related solely to school libraries. Reducing library staff was one of the proposals mentioned to help make up the difference.