The Rundown : United our libraries should stand
Posted on Sunday, October 5, 2008
It might be time to take another stab at uniting Benton County's libraries.
In a story published Monday, Daily Record staff writer Gary Lookadoo revisited the issue as part of our weekly "Whatever Happened To... "series.
Ten years ago next month, Benton County voters soundly rejected the idea of a countywide library system. The issue took a severe beating at the polls, losing by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to results provided by county Clerk Mary Lou Slinkard. Had it passed, a 1-mill property tax would have financed the system; the owner of a $ 100, 000 home would have paid an additional $ 11 in taxes annually.
One of the people who took a leading role in the campaign for that issue was James Furgason, chairman of the Gentry Public Library Board. Intrigued by Lookadoo's story, I contacted Furgason last week to get his feelings on the matter. Turns out that time has not diminished his passion for the county library system. In fact, he thinks that if enough people got together, they could get the issue back on the ballot in November 2009.
"I'd like to see it passed," Furgason said, adding that he would be an "enthusiastic participant"in the campaign.
There are plenty of good reasons to strive for a countywide library system, and not just because most other counties have one. With a county system, libraries could share materials, and all residents would have access to any of the nine libraries across the county. A Bentonville resident, for instance, could walk into the Gentry library and check out a book, movie or CD without having to pay a penny.
If residents agreed to pay the extra millage, the libraries would qualify for thousands of dollars from the state that aren't available to them now. That would allow them to add significantly to their collections and hire actual librarians (some of our smaller libraries don't have one ) who would only build on the libraries' quality; it also would allow them to end their reliance on donations to keep their shelves stocked. The libraries could stay open longer and keep more regular hours to better serve patrons.
And it's all just a vote away.
Judy Casey, director of the Rogers Public Library, also supports the idea. Though Rogers residents already pay a city millage that supports their library, Casey said she would love to see a countywide system.
"It would free us up to do some more collaborative things," Casey told me on Friday. "It would improve services across the whole county."
I won't venture to guess why the last attempt at a county system failed so badly (it was long before I arrived here ). I also can't fully understand why supporters haven't taken another shot at the levy since then.
Besides schools, is there a better place to invest our money than libraries ? Make no mistake, a good library is a key element of a good community. By themselves, Benton County's libraries are good, but united they would become great. I know, I know, the economy is in a rut and most people aren't interested in paying a new tax. But at the very least, people seem to be interested in libraries. Gentry, for example, just opened a spectacular new library last October. According to Furgason, the library has more than 2, 700 patrons - even though Gentry is a community of only 1, 500 people. I'm not sure who will lead the next campaign, or whether next November would be the right time to go for it, but it seems that Benton County would be doing itself a favor by forming a countywide library system. If ever the campaign does re-ignite, you can count me, like Furgason, as an enthusiastic participant.
• • • Dave Perozek is opinion page editor of The Benton County Daily Record. His column appears on Sundays. Reach him at (479 ) 271-3754 or davep @ nwanews. com.
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