BUILDING COMMUNITY

To the editor:

Are books passé? Have library stacks been replaced by memory sticks? Are libraries obsolete, a quaint vestige of our past?

Absolutely not! Instead libraries across the nation are flourishing, not only within the physical confines of white pillars and clapboards, but also in the continuously expanding Internet universe. The facts speak for themselves. Library use is up nationwide with more than 2 billion items being checked out last year and with librarians serving nearly 1.8 billion visitors annually. At the Nantucket Atheneum during the last year, our over 20,000 patrons with library cards borrowed more than 141,000 items and made more than 25,000 uses of our electronic services. The Atheneum staff also served over 89,000 visitors.

The Atheneum is about community. The library provides the island with a physical gathering place, a crossroads for people of all ages, ethnicities and economic means, complete with trained professional staff who foster inquiry and assist with interpretation of information both onsite and online. As the island's public library, the Nantucket Atheneum makes available for free multi-faceted, multicultural, multilingual materials and resources to the entire community.

Education and literacy are essential to staying competitive in a global society. According to a recent report by the National Governors Association, deficits in basic literacy skills drained as much as $16 million annually from businesses, universities and under-educated workers themselves in lost productivity and other costs. In addition, a digital divide continues to contribute to economic disenfranchisement.

Everyday public libraries are helping to address literacy and education issues. Thus, the Nantucket Atheneum offers an array of free programs which promote and support literacy for adults and children, including classes and tutoring by the Literacy Volunteers of the Atheneum, summer reading programs for children, author talks, cultural programs and book discussion groups. In addition, by providing computer access to community members who do not have computers at home and by offering information literacy classes, the Atheneum is helping to close the digital divide.

April 15-21 is National Library Week, a time when libraries of all types and the people who use them come together to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries, librarians, library workers and volunteers. During this week at the Atheneum we are waiving all fines on overdue books, launching the Circus Flora summer reading program and giving a special thanks to our dedicated volunteers. We hope that you will join us in celebrating your public library by visiting the Atheneum during National Library Week and throughout the year.

- Molly Anderson Director of Nantucket Atheneum