To the person who broke into the North Wilkes Library last wekend:

I congratulate you on your instincts. The contents of a library are infinitely valuable, second only to what you might find in a house of worship. You don't have to break into either place though. Our doors are wide open six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 2:30 to 5:30, and our services are absolutely free.

Libraries are one of the most important components of a democratic society. In a library you are free to read anything you like; librarians are pledged to provide materials representing all viewpoints, all cultures and all religions, insofar as the materials are available on the market and funds are available to purchase them. Via library materials, your imagination can travel anywhere in the world. There are no limits.

All of us who work in the Tignall Library are volunteers. We have no budget. Our only income is from the books that people give us for our book sales. We have exactly $161.20 in the bank and $9.26 in petty cash. And now our poor old building looks pitiful with one door covered with cardboard.

I don't have the authority to forgive you for what you did. You have to get that elsewhere. I can suggest that you take the $1.50 that you found in our donations jar and put it in the offering plate at your church. Then come back to the library and find yourself something good to read, and start figuring out where you can fit in as a constructive member of our community.

Sincerely, Sheri Bowers

Librarian