The most recent Bethlehem Public Library vote on the capital renovations was a huge missed opportunity for the residents and families of Bethlehem. As a parent of three, we use the library weekly, with at least 20 books taken out at any time, and I use the online ebooks daily. As an active communtiy member in Bethlehem, I also reserve the meeting room spaces frequently for various groups. Needless to say we are at the library very frequently so we feel very passionately about the importance of this institution in our town.
Recently, we have had to start going to Guilderland Library for my two teens, who have read most of the books at the BPL, and enjoy the Teen Space at the Guilderland library much better than the few chairs at BPL. Keeping kids off their phones and reading actual books is important to us, so we drive them over there, but it makes me sad that we don’t have this resource in our own community and that my kids won’t know a library that can grow with them.
The capital project that was voted down was an opportunity to be an institution that would grow and support our families for years to come. In addition to more books, and a dedicated teen/youth space, it had more children’s activity space. For our youngest, we no longer attend children’s events because they are too crowded to enjoy anything. The new project would have had multiple meeting rooms for community groups as well. Currently, Bethlehem community groups that I am a part of are only able to secure a library meeting room once every six months because they are all booked so far in advance. Supporting community groups is a vital aspect of any thriving community, and now, because the project was voted down, we have to continue not using our own library for meetings.
I know the turnout was huge, and while I appreciate everyone’s passion, I can tell you that most of the people that voted against the project do not use the library regularly and instead focused on the price tag. Yes, it was expensive, but our library has a long way to go to meet the needs of the ever-changing residents, so the scope was needed. But the campaign to “Vote No” focused on the wrong things, and won, and now my kids suffer from a lack of a community institution that meets our needs.
Nora Yates, Delmar
