Letters to the editor LGO teaser

Regarding the article entitled “Council sets priorities for upcoming fiscal year” in the Jan. 30 edition of The Observer, I strongly support allocating funds to make the two half-time employees of Cook Memorial Library full time.

When we were considering a move to La Grande over three decades ago, one of our first stops to get a pulse of the town was the library. A good library is foundational to a good community, and over the years libraries, including ours, have come to offer many more services in addition to, and not in lieu of, a wealth of reading resources and materials.

The reasons offered by Library Director Bushman for the change are all important to consider: personal safety for employees, having someone staff both the children’s and main desks full time, and increasing hours on Saturdays to better serve those who cannot make it to the library during the work week.

The children’s library is a gem that I only recently explored, when our grandson came for a visit. The activity boxes, wonderful reading spaces and extensive book collection were all a great discovery.

I fully realize there are many competing priorities for funding, but I believe those invested in the library offer long-term benefits that will serve the entire community well into the future.

Mary Rowland

La Grande

The Observer will run endorsement letters of no more than 350 words. We institute a deadline for letters to the editor so we can be fair with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary. We run local letters of endorsement on a first-come, first-served basis. Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by 5 p.m. Friday, April 30. You can email them to news@lagrandeobserver.com or mail them to The Observer, Attn.: Andrew Cutler, 911 Jefferson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850. We will publish our last endorsement letters on Saturday, May. 18. Any letters received after the April 30 deadline will not be published in print or online.

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