To the Editor:
As a lifelong lover and patron of libraries, I am writing to encourage my fellow Tisbury taxpayers to vote for the library renovation project at the special town meeting on Dec. 17. The Tisbury library is an incredible resource for the town, providing engaging and relevant programming across the life continuum, and it needs to be supported.
I have been a lover of libraries for my entire life. One of my earliest memories is being pushed in a yellow and white checkered stroller by my grandmother to our local library. Back in those days, I enjoyed having my own library card, and being able to take out any book I wanted. As a teenager, I worked that card catalog, and benefited from the reference librarians’ expertise to research term papers. Times have changed, and so has the library. The library is about so much more than books, though Tisbury has the largest collection of any Island branch.
The Tisbury Library is an absolute gem. The library provides relevant and engaging programming. They have programs for little kids, teens, adults, and seniors. Story times, Lego clubs, craft drop-ins, book clubs, yoga, Mah Jong, résumé-writing workshops, music, dancing, author talks, how-to workshops, history and culture lectures, guest speakers, museum passes, and so many virtual programs and online learning opportunities that teach a new skill, help one discover a new hobby, and importantly, change or advance one’s career … the resources seem endless!
When my kids were young, they would do the summer reading challenge at the library. One summer my daughter read 18 books! During the pandemic, when everyone was at home, I got lots of cookbooks from the library, and tried out many new recipes and types of cuisine. I also took advantage of the many virtual programs the library offered, including a monthly Zoom cooking club experimenting with different spices the library provided. I run a nonprofit organization called Special Needs Arts Programs, Inc. (snaparts.org), and over the years I have spent hours at the Tisbury library using their Foundation Directory to research grants. Program fees cover only 30 percent of my budget, and those grants help me bridge the 70 percent gap in funding every year.
In May 2023, American Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a General Advisory on a public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. Locally, according to the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative’s Community Profiles, 35.8 percent of those age 65 and above in Tisbury live alone, and compared with state averages, have higher rates of depression. There are so many opportunities for community and connection at the library. I have made friends attending programs at the library. It is a warm and welcoming place. The knowledge I have gained and the connections I have made enrich my life, and may be an important lifeline for seniors in need.
Borrowing for the library renovation is projected at $4.8 million, which would be approximately $135 per household per year average (based on an average assessed home value of $1.79 million). Those owning a home with a lower assessed value and those with a residential exemption would pay less. These numbers were provided by the Tisbury town treasurer. Collectively, this is a small investment to make, considering the vast benefit to the town the library provides.
If you have not been to the library recently, please go, or visit their website — so much is happening! We should all consider ourselves lifelong learners. We all need friends, social connections, and opportunities to try or learn something new. Tisbury residents, you have no better partner in this effort than the Tisbury library. Please vote to approve this much-needed renovation to a vital institution.
Heidi O’Mara
Tisbury
