Opinion: Save our Sundays

This September will mark the 34th anniversary of my move to Westport. The town has changed in a multitude of ways. One change especially significant has been that of the Westport Library. The library has always been important, but its role in our lives is constantly changing to fill the needs of the 1,600 people who now enter the building each day ... and the many more who enter the virtual gateway through the Library website, www.westportlibrary.org

My interest in the library is keen. For me, it's the latest and best books, reviews, information that is current and accurate, author talks, music programs and more. I must admit as a long-time employee of the Westport Library, I have a strong emotional attachment to the people, the services and the resources which consume the majority of my time. Now when the possibility of Sunday closings is looming, I ask you to consider the small cost for maximum returns that will keep the doors open every day including Sundays for those 1,600 people.

The library seeks restoration of $45,000 of the $100,000 cut from the proposed budget. The restoration of $45,000 will keep the library open as usual every Sunday.

Forty-five thousand dollars sounds like a lot. That's $28.13 for each person who enters the library ... on one day! Most best-selling books cost about $28. At the library, they are free. Add in free Internet service and Wi-Fi. What does it cost to hear a lecture by a best-selling author, like the recent ones at the library by Amy Bloom, Jeff Shesol or Rebecca Skloot? Each spoke (no charge) at the library recently.

Bought a concert ticket lately? Or did you come to the library on a Sunday afternoon to hear the Acoustic Blues Trio, for free? Do your children or grandchildren attend library programs, borrow books, play with toys or get homework help with your confident knowledge of attentive staff in a safe place?

The reputation of Westport as a cultural community depends on the optimum functioning of the library and the health of downtown businesses is boosted by the robust attendance at the library ... seven days a week. During the recent storm, Westport homeowners without power swarmed into the library for electricity, information, food, warmth and just making connections with their neighbors. The library is indeed a "third place" where people can connect in a stimulating and safe environment ... seven days a week.

As a longtime Westport resident, I urge you to consider the far-reaching benefits of uninterrupted, seven-day-a-week library service. Please Save Our Sundays.

Marta Campbell is in the Collection Development & Readers' Services department at the Westport Public Library.