An Open Letter to the New Lisbon City Council regarding the New Lisbon Memorial Library
 
Information is the currency of democracy….. I cannot live without books.
-Thomas Jefferson
 
There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.
-Andrew Carnegie
New Lisbon City Council—
 
I and my family have been long time users of the New Lisbon Memorial Library and its affiliation with the Winding Rivers Library System.  I have read the recent article regarding its disrepair and other long-standing issues.  I wish to state my strong opinion that it is time for a new library to be built.
 
The roof above the conference room has been leaking for many years. In the winter of 2009-2010 the damage done to the conference room and bathrooms has left users not being able to use one bathroom and the conference room which had been used in the past for programming and a non-profit meeting area. The water then took another path through the office and into the reference section that then caused damage to some of the precious genealogy materials. They have been busy moving books around in order to protect as many as possible.
 
The present building was built in 1957 with a generous donation from HJ Mortensen. The New Lisbon area patrons have enjoyed many years of free literary richness and entertainment. But at the time the building was built no one had ever imagined what the technology needs would be 50 years later. The wiring is out of date and it could be considered dangerous. When patron use laptops cords, they need to be strung across the floor to reach an outlet. In order to use the microfilm, again a cord needs to be lying across the floor were someone could easily trip.  
 
A feasibility study was done a year ago and it stated that for the amount of usage the library gets it is 1/2 the size it should be. The library still has many more pieces of Native American artifacts they house in the basement because of lack of space. In the new building design it would have a history room, and senior room and kitchen. The children's area will serve our young kids in a safer environment. They have had to have the books on that side at a level that is not intended for their heights.
 
Merely replacing the roofing does not really address the condition problems of the New Lisbon Memorial Library. In short, it is outdated and an investment in the future of the library would be and investment in the future of the New Lisbon community as a whole.  The library’s proximity to the New Lisbon Schools has been an important resource for the schools as well. And for many unemployed or impoverished people it is their only access to the internet.
 
I think I realize the tough problems in the economy as a whole and understand people’s conservative approach to spending these days.  At the same time I realize there is only one direction to go, ultimately, which is to look to investing in the future of our community’s most vital institutions and I believe the New Lisbon Memorial Library is one of these.
 
Please consider strongly investing in our and our children’s future and building a new New Lisbon Memorial Library and exploring possibilities for financing/grants/etc. Just fixing the roof would be putting good money after bad.