Library far from dead
I believe Hope Shastri's recent letter is missing important information to inform her opinion of the Main Library in Little Rock. Far from being dead, the Main Library is busier than ever, serving library patrons in many ways.
In the last five years, checkout of Main Library materials has risen almost 5 percent, while attendance has risen almost 10 percent. Digital readership has exploded from 18,080 in 2010 to 261,550 in 2014. More recently, the size of the collection at Main Library rose from 264,681 items in 2013 to 279,614 items in 2014. The book budget in 2014 was $1.733 million and is $1.8 million in 2015.
It is true that many patrons are now using technology and online resources to fill their information needs. Recognizing that the content itself is more important than the format in which that content is presented, the library is working to ensure that library patrons can find what they need when they need it, in whatever format the patrons wish. Walk through the Main Library at any time and you'll find visitors doing a variety of things: browsing best-sellers, using study rooms and Wi-Fi, reading old newspapers and periodicals on microfilm machines, attending programs, etc. The library is building a new parking deck because existing parking is inadequate for the number of visitors every day.
The library looks different than it has in years past, but its purpose remains the same: connecting the people of Little Rock with resources to meet their information and entertainment needs.
CAROL COFFEY
Little Rock
Plan's good for state
I am an ordained member of the clergy in the United Methodist Church. The biblical account is one which has a deep concern for that which God has created. Humans are called to be good stewards of that which God has entrusted to us. I take this call seriously. It is a call that we do as individuals, as faith communities, and in conjunction with governments.
Recently, the EPA proposed a draft Regional Haze plan for Arkansas. It would help reduce emissions that contribute to haze in such areas as the Buffalo National River, which is the country's first national river, and Caney Creek Wilderness. The plan, which would help preserve the ecosystems in these and other areas, obviously has environmental and aesthetic benefits as well as historical. Additionally, the Regional Haze plan has significant implications for the state.
Arkansas' numerous attractions, many of which are outdoor areas with magnificent scenery and pristine views, bring thousands of tourists to the state every year. These tourists often shop in local stores, eat in local restaurants and stay in local hotels. Tourism thus brings increased business to communities, and a number of small towns in Arkansas depend on that business.
Unfortunately, haze threatens to blur the views offered by these outdoor attractions, which could cause a reduction in tourism. The EPA's current plan will not only reduce pollution and protect the environment, but it would also help to continue the attraction of tourists to Arkansas and preserve the local economies.
STEPHEN COPLEY
North Little Rock
That cleanliness thing
Ms. Julia Randle's letter to the editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette focused on a couple of things: (1) less hatred on the pages of the paper, and (2) more cleanliness on the roads and byways of our beautiful state.
I say "Amen" to her.
She closes her comments by saying, "Even God loves cleanliness." You know, he did say after he'd done all of his creative work that it was "very good." Now, I hear him telling us to "clean up your room!"
HOSEA LONG
Little Rock
Beyond ability level
I read Rod Lorenzen's recent article with empathy. I have one additional warning to add for stupid former riders like me: Do not buy a bike that is beyond your ability.
As a newbie rider, I had a perfectly good Merlin bicycle. After about a year of weekend riding, I decided I deserved a new bicycle. I bought a Trek Madone, just like Lance. What I was too stupid to realize is that a bike that good needs someone good riding it.
Its maiden voyage was a hilly ride in the Austin, Texas, area. Of course I did not check the route first. The bike reacted to my every twitch, one of which sent me sideways into (literally) the shoulder. My elbow went into my ribs, which fortunately cracked but did not break.
I sold the bicycle.
MICHAEL F. TAYLOR
Conway
Abysmal tax season
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen said that due to five straight years of budget cuts by Congress, taxpayer service this filing season has been "abysmal." As president of the local chapter of the National Treasury Employees Union, I can tell you from firsthand experience that IRS employees want to serve the public but there are not enough of us.
Here in Arkansas, the number of IRS employees has declined by nearly 28 percent since 2011, while the number of taxpayers and the complexity of the tax code has continued to grow.
Seniors and taxpayers with disabilities have had to wait in long lines and couldn't get the help they used to receive from our offices. Victims of identity theft often have to wait months for a resolution and their tax refund.
In our state, we have four walk-in centers where IRS employees assist taxpayers, but too often taxpayers cannot get the help they need and we want to provide. Wait times on phone lines can stretch hours.
I hope Congress will consider giving the IRS the resources it needs next year to properly serve the public and avoid another "abysmal" tax season.
DANNY LUNSFORD
Little Rock
Death notice in error
On the heels of legislation that reduced library funding by 18 percent, I am surprised you would print a letter to the editor from Hope Shastri condemning the library.
As a patron and volunteer in the Central Arkansas Library System, I have nothing but praise for our libraries. Not only can I check out books, study or work in the library, but I can attend classes for the community on various topics; join a book club; borrow DVDs to watch with my family and books on CD to listen to in my car; use the Internet on one of the library's many computers available to patrons; buy gently used books at incredibly low prices and listen to nationally acclaimed speakers free of charge. I can also find and read this newspaper at the library, along with several other newspapers and periodicals.
Yes, the library has reduced the number of books in its stacks, but that decision was based on patron surveys. There are plenty of e-books available (what people voted for); you just won't see them in the library. More space was created so that patrons would have more room to read and work in the library.
I personally have been to several of the libraries in Little Rock, North Little Rock (where my son got his passport), Fort Smith and Fayetteville over the many years I have lived in Arkansas. Not once have I walked into an empty library.
The library is not dying; it is changing by adapting to the needs and desires of its communities.
NATASHA GRAF
Cammack Village
Editorial on 04/17/2015