Libraries are constantly in the position of defending their value to a community. For roughly 30 years, I have been working in public libraries and I have attended many budget hearings. Depending on the community, this important process generally begins early in the calendar year. Thanks should be given to every City Councilor or selectperson who sits through meeting after meeting to come to the end of the budget season months later.

We are all entering 2023 with a challenging inflation situation and for many in our community, this will be difficult. During times of economic strife, libraries make more sense than ever. Magazines, books, DVD & BluRays, storytimes, programs, computers, hotspots, snowshoes, sleds and professional staff to help you answer questions are just part of what we offer.

Are you paying for Audible? We at McArthur Library can set you up with Cloud Library and Hoopla. Are you paying for Netflix? Again, we give you Cloud Library and Hoopla. Are you paying for Ancestry.com? You can get Heritage Quest for free. What if you are struggling for a warm place to be during the day? The library is open until 8 p.m. four evenings as well as Saturday during the day, a total of over 55 hours a week. Don’t have wifi at home? We have mobile hotspots that can be borrowed for three weeks or you can use one of our many public computers.

If you want to explore the actual value of your local library to your community (and your wallet) there is a handy calculator on the Maine State Library website that can figure out the financial impact of our services. https://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm

While this calculator gives you a great idea of the financial impact, it does not give you the glimpse into the stories we see everyday as McArthur librarians. Those stories are why I am a librarian and why I am passionate about my career.

The man who got a job online using one of our computers because that is the only way he could apply. The person who used our DaVinci Reader to expand the size of the type on a bill because they are visually impaired. The child who got a free lunch in the summer because they would not otherwise have eaten that summer day. The person in a nursing facility who received books and DVDs hand picked by one of our amazing homebound delivery volunteers. The lonely individual who chatted with one of our circulation staff about a book they just read and got a new suggestion. All of these little stories make up the true value of the library.

As we enter into a bright, shiny New Year, my wish is for all to have a healthy year ahead; and that you stop by for a book, a smile or to ask a local history question. See you all soon.