Editor:

As an educator, writer and historian, libraries have served me since I was very young. Today, libraries everywhere struggle to build collections and meet demands from patrons for the most current Internet tools.

Despite information available on the Internet and the widespread ownership of computers and smartphones, I believe libraries are more necessary than ever.

They are repositories of knowledge and community centers for children and adults eager to discover new people, new places and new ideas.

A librarian no longer simply sits behind a desk with a rubber stamp, marking the return date on a card in the back of a dog-eared paperback.

Today, librarians guide research, foster genealogical materials, create youth programs and safeguard collections of local and general interest.

Like teachers and ministers, librarians have the power to change and inspire young lives.

My work, which frequently includes writing about the rich history of Buckingham County, would not exist without libraries and the dedicated individuals who maintain them.

I have visited Buckingham County’s library and it is ready for more than a face lift. It needs a new home, making it possible to expand and function in the 21st century.

Buckingham County’s library need not stagnate while the world around it surges ahead.

Instead, I hope its citizens can dedicate themselves to funding and building a new library, flexible enough to adapt to a rapidly changing future and welcoming enough to encourage everyone to explore what libraries and librarians have to offer.

Joanne L. Yeck

Kettering, Ohio