Letter of support from a New Carlisle Library Patron

October 24, 2007


Dear Representative:


I am writing this letter in support of maintaining the current system of
administration and funding that our local library in New Carlisle enjoys.

Of all the libraries I have been a patron of, the New Carlisle library
exemplifies the ideal approach to management and administration.  Our local
director has dedicated himself and the staff to providing not only a first
class location but also the very best in customer services.  It is clear
that the entire organization operates with the patron in mind providing
services with little red tape and always seeking to think like their
customers. It is also clear that they have the freedom to operate properly.

While you may find some libraries with similar characteristics, I challenge
you to find one that actually brings our community together.  The library is
such an attractive place that each generation of our community finds
something of lasting interest there.  Our school children go there sometimes
on a daily basis after school to broaden their studies or recreate, our
seniors go there to plan and participate in numerous craft and health
programs and our middle aged find support for home design, resources in
support of college/technical studies and also to find an interesting DVD.
The library also facilitates meeting services for all community needs such
as environmental issues, health issues and educational topics.

Everyone finds the library a genuine community location that each can talk
about at the dinner table as well as genuinely participate in as a family,
with everyone finding an attraction there.  It's a unique place that
mothers, fathers and their children have in common.  It is also something we
take pride in.

The strategic planning required to bring us to this point goes back more
than a decade and the operation and vision to maintain it relies on the
specific knowledge of our community's distinctive need as well as the
capability to make proper prioritization's of resources as limited resources
invariably require.

We understand that the current plan is to centralize administration and
funding in an effort to help maximize resources across the state.  While on
paper this may make statistical improvements, managing to a satisfactory
performance metric only jeopardizes our "A+" performers in an effort to
bring the statewide GPA to "C+"  or "B+" isn't worth killing off our role
models.  Without those success stories, what would we have to talk
about/emulate?

I personally would like to invite you to come visit our library any day of
the week.  You need to see success in action to have a true appreciation for
what these words are trying to represent.

Let the individual library board's choose which is best for their own local
community and leave the funding up to the local taxpayers to decide.


Steve Varela
New Carlisle Library Patron