Letter to the Editor: Provides reasons for voters to support library in Charles City

Libraries aren’t just for books anymore! They are for computers and classes on how to use them, resume’ writing, job searches, and more. They are also places where students can receive tutoring in school subjects that are causing them difficulty.

Unfortunately, Charles City does not have a library suitable for adequately helping our students. My husband and I volunteered to tutor mathematics, English, and reading a couple of years at the library, but found out that the current library was not conducive to learning as there was no space to work one-on-one with a student without distractions. One of us took over the back table by the children’s section and we were constantly disrupted by other children going by and talking with each other and/or their parents. We could not talk about a student’s writing at the computers without disturbing other people who were working at them. We need spaces that are separate from traffic flow and other people who need to work in peace without having to listen to our instruction.

Another issue was limited hours of operation due to the library being inside a courthouse. When court was in session we could not be there. If a court case ran overtime, we had to cancel our tutoring sessions. Effectively, the only time we could offer tutoring was on Thursday nights. There were always more students who wanted tutoring than we could serve.

Every town, city, and county should have a library building that serves the needs of all citizens, both young and old. Please vote yes on the local referendum for the bond issue to support a library for Charles City County.

Shirley and Vincent Brackett
Charles City