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To the editor:

Looking for ideas on fun activities to do with your children this summer? Talk to a librarian about the Summer Learning Program.

Just read a good book and want to chat with someone about it? Talk to a librarian and exchange ideas on good books and authors.

Trying to get started on a research paper and struggling with sources? Ask a librarian for help in navigating the catalog.

Is your iPad confusing you? Ask for some tech support from a librarian.

Wondering where great-grandfather Murray came from? Sit down with a librarian for assistance with family history research.

The public library exists to provide resources and services like these and much, much more to our community. Its doors are open to anyone in the community, irrespective of age and any other demographic. That has been the case for decades.

Our public library has a long history of innovation and service to our community, from successfully automating our circulation and catalog system, and adding Davie’s first public computing space, to the extensive addition of technology resources, databases, and digitization that has occurred since. Davie County Public Library stepped up along with other early adopters for a state-wide consortial circulation and resource sharing system, and consortial e-book collections for adults and children.

All of these advancements made good business sense, and good service sense.

The N.C. Digital Heritage Center and NC Humanities Council worked with Davie County Public Library as a beta tester for new systems and programs. Davie was held up as a role model for the state when it provided space in the library for the Employment Security Commission rep so that job seekers would not have to drive to Winston-Salem to file for benefits and apply for jobs.

Thousands of families with children have gratefully tapped into reading and learning programs, inside the library buildings and around the county, over the years. Some of those children became library pages as teens and some even go on to library school.

The library has clearly outlined policies and procedures for how it manages its facilities and collections that are readily accessible to anyone with questions.

Davie County residents can be proud of how much the local library offers and how well it serves our community.

So, if you have concerns or questions about library collections, services, or management, talk to a librarian.

Having reasonable conversations about matters that concern you is far more constructive than resorting to harassment or even violence. The library is meant to be a welcoming, safe environment for reading, discovery, and learning. We can all do our part in ensuring it remains that way, including community leaders, library users, and citizens alike.

And by the way, when you talk to that librarian, thank them for what they do.

This letter was signed by five Davie residents:

Meika Imes, David Joyner, Jane McAllister,

Khristen Mears, and Lisa Nielsen