Why a new library is needed in Buckingham
Published 11:43 am Thursday, December 10, 2015
- Plans to build a new $2 million 9,580-square-foot library in Buckingham County are progressing. The Buckingham Board of Supervisors voted recently to designate 3.5 acres of county-owned property on Wingo Road adjacent to the Buckingham Recycling Center (just off of U.S. Route 15 near Dillwyn) for the proposed new library. Abandoning the project would derail progress in Buckingham.
The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors’ warranted interest in a new library is a positive investment for the future of the county.
There’s no doubt about it.
Many say that libraries are becoming obsolete in an age when Internet access is infinite with cell phones, wireless device connectivity and access to school-based computers.
However, the public can’t just walk into a public school and use a computer. Just because broadband — which is extremely limited in Buckingham — and high-speed Internet are available in certain parts of the county doesn’t mean they’re affordable.
Census data show that Buckingham’s per capita income is only $17,167, 23 percent of residents live below the poverty line, and according to the state department of education, 7 in 10 public school students participate in free or reduced lunch based on their parent or guardian’s income.
A cell phone that has the fastest Internet access known to man can’t hold a candle to a public library. A cell phone can’t determine what’s a reputable source for a ninth grader writing a research paper or enhance the reading skills for a second grader on a Saturday morning, nor can it offer public meeting space for GED classes or civic groups in a community with very limited affordable space for such meetings.
The current library on Main Street is inadequate, according to project leaders. Limited shelf space and meeting room space is a reality. There’s no dedicated area for children’s programming, and there’s a very limited number of public-access computers. Lighting is poor in many areas, parking is very limited, the roof leaks and the building has scarce compliance for those with disabilities.
And it’s simply not true that the library project caused the real estate tax rate to increase by 2 cents in April 2014. The annual budgeted $250,000 for debt service for a new library building didn’t increase the rate, according to County Administrator Rebecca S. Carter. If operations of the new library increase, obviously more revenue will be needed. Such revenue dedicated to this project would be an investment for the entire community.
Abandoning the project would derail progress in Buckingham.
