The New Year commences

What with wrestling with the Renaissance world, struggling to complete Peace Hill Press's upcoming middle-grade writing and grammar curriculum, and fuming over my local library's unreasonable new policies, I haven't posted too many updates recently.

Updates on the Renaissance world and the writing and grammar program shortly. For today, the next volley in the library battle. (I call it a volley. So far as I can tell, my shots are evaporating silently into the ether.)

January 8, 2011

To:

Susan S. Geary

Jean Van Tol

Sarah Houghland

Lynda Byrd-Poller

Suzanne R. Mellen

Mary H. Norment

Vickie Herrick

Bill Porter

J. H. Willis

Now that the holidays are over, I would like to renew my plea for an explanation over the board's refusal to consider a fee-based system for out of county residents.

Those of us who have used and supported the WRL system for decades are aware that funding is tight. But we would like to continue our support of this library system.

Could you please explain why a fee-based card is not being made available?

I can only think of two reasons. First: that the per-card fee seems unreasonably high and so was not even presented to out-of-city residents as an option. If that is the case, please tell me: what would the projected per-card fee be? If the decision was made on this basis, numbers must be available.

Second: that one of the current participants in the library system has threatened to pull funding if cards continue to be offered to residents of the nearby counties. As you must be aware, rumor has it that York County has made exactly this threat. If this is indeed the case, this should be public record–not least for the residents of York County. If not, York County should be exonerated.

Is there a third reason why fee-based cards are not under consideration?

I have received no answers to my previous emails. Emails sometimes go astray, so if a response is not made, I will be happy to send this request by registered mail or raise it at the January 26 meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Please be assured that I share with other concerned residents of Charles City, Surry, and New Kent a sincere desire to help the WRL Library System in its current crisis.

I would also like to continue to express my concern over the effect this will have on the Williamsburg economy. Today, I registered for a library card at the Richmond Public Library. This is much further away from my home than the WRL system, and in no way is my local library. However, until the current WRL policy is changed, I will be taking my family to the RPL instead. This means that the regular day we have always spent in Williamsburg–shopping, eating, visiting Colonial Williamsburg and making purchases there, buying gasoline from local stations–will be spent in Richmond. My consumer dollars and sales tax will support Richmond's economy instead.

I have always taken pride in supporting Williamsburg's off-season economy, and I regret very much that I am now forced to remove this support. I hope that it will soon become possible, once again, to take our regular library day in Williamsburg–as we have been doing for the last thirty years.

I would be happy to receive an answer which is not a form letter.

Sincerely,

Susan Wise Bauer