It hurts to lose support network

WE ALL know that times are hard and cutbacks are necessary. But when a library loses certification, it loses the network and state support that makes it possible for patrons to access materials, from books to job-hunting information, that may not be available in their own library. Supporting your local library is not just about getting the latest bestseller.

In one hour at my job as a librarian, I found tax forms online for elderly patrons (they were unavailable on the table with the paper forms), showed a seventh-grader how to use an index in a book on Italy for his school project and helped him identify the books he needed, set up a free e-mail account for a job hunter, taught a patron how to open and type a Word document, answered a phone request about museum passes, pulled material for a homeowner trying to settle a tax dispute, and saved one unemployed man $1,500 by finding, for free, the testing material for a heavy equipment operating license that someone was going to sell him.

If you or your family make use of this resource, then call your city or town hall - a reference librarian can easily get you the number - and tell your elected officials that you support your local library.

Jacquelyn Miller

Woburn