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Have Done a Disservice

My name is Christopher Jennings Penders. Full disclosure: I work at The Scranton Memorial Library. I’ve lived in Madison since 1978 and this is the first time I can say that I am disappointed in our town officials. After watching the board meeting on YouTube on April 30 and seeing the support from those who spoke out in favor of restoring the $300,000 to the library budget, I would like an explanation why the Board of Finance still cut that money.

It has effectively cut the library’s staff in half. Someone asked how many on the board used the library regularly. Only one hand went up. How does a board make such a cut without knowing the effect it will cause?

One thing I will always remember from earning my library science degree is a professor saying, “When a marauding force comes into a culture and attempts to take over the first place they plunder is the library, because all the culture is kept there.”

Without this $300,000 in the library budget, hours will be cut, staff will be cut, and programs will be cut.

I understand that it’s too little too late now for this letter to make a difference, however I wanted to express my disappointment that the town boards do not see the value in keeping staff, in keeping hours. The town boards have done a disservice to Madison by making these cuts—$300,000 is a large amount to the library, but in relation to the overall town, it’s miniscule. I only wish the Town of Madison realized that by taking this money away, it has cut off more than staff, more than time at the library, it has cut off the community of Madison.

Christopher Jennings Penders

Madison