Support the Library

A public vote on the East Hampton Library budget, which comes up once a year, should be supported on Saturday. Here’s why:

One might perhaps think that libraries are a thing of the past in this fast-moving digital era, but that is far from the reality. From The Star’s vantage point next door on Main Street we watch the constant flow of patrons there — some checking out best sellers, others using free Wi-Fi, or simply enjoying the air-conditioning while relaxing with print newspapers and magazines in the comfortable periodicals reading room. 

The library offers even more in programs for children and adults alike, including the Tom Twomey Lecture Series, which on Saturday at 6 p.m. will present a detailed look at the Creeks estate, when it was the artist Alfonso Ossorio’s home and studio. There are a whole host of other offerings beyond books, including English language classes, tax prep, and DVDs to borrow. Then there is the wonderful Long Island Collection, a perhaps unparalleled historical resource for a small library. 

The budget proposal would add less than $2.50 a year to the average tax bill in the East Hampton, Springs, and Wainscott School Districts. For all the community gets, that sounds like a great deal to us.