by Connie Hartke
County residents are being asked to answer a survey on our County Library system and its search for a new Director. In the spirit of RCA’s approach of becoming informed before forming opinions, we suggest you first watch this video interview by local TV host Rich Massabny that nets out the situation. It includes our RCA Board Member and Library Advocate Dennis Hays: bitly.com/library-interview.If you want to delve into the numbers that illustrate the mediocrity (and decline) of our library system, refer to Terry Maynard’s 2020 article “The Comparative Mediocrity of theFairfax County Public Library System” and a repost from the Library Advocates blog: “Fairfax Libraries Suffer Almost1/3 of All Net Staff Cuts in Proposed Budget.”
Please think carefully of long term ramifications before answering the last question on the survey, which is:9. Which of the following statements do you feel most closely describes your thoughts on the public library:Public libraries are an important part of the community.People do not need public libraries as much as they once used to because they can find most information on their own.