To the Editor:

I live in a house with no books. There is nothing here to read if I don’t go to the library and borrow a book. I’m eleven years old now and I have had my own library card since I was nine. I get teased at home by my mother who thinks it’s silly for me to spend my time reading. When you live in a family without much money, it makes life hard. My family consists of my mother and me. She has a job but she only makes minimum wage. Luckily, our apartment is close to her job so she can walk to work because we don’t have a car.

Okay....ignore that paragraph. I made it all up. I’m not eleven and I wasn’t raised by a single parent. But, for the people of Ogdensburg and the surrounding area, this “story” is told to create awareness that this scenario exists much more frequently than you may imagine. Indeed, there are children being raised in poverty all over the north country. Luckily for them, they currently have access to the Ogdensburg Public Library. But, that could all change as of 12/31/2021. The Ogdensburg City Council is planning on cutting operating funds, and as a result, we may lose our library.

Think of this....no book sales, no book store, no soirées, no book club convention, no children’s book sales, no summer carnival for children, no meet the candidates night, no poetry slam, no loans of books or movies, no crafts for children, no book reading contests!

Think about it, folks. If you think Ogdensburg is on the right course, then sit back and relax - do nothing. But if you want to participate and do something, vote yes on the library referendum on May 18 at the Ogdensburg Golden Dome. Our library is essential and our library needs your help to survive. Now.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jana Norris

Ogdensburg