To the editor: 

The latest Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors budget cuts to the Blackwater Library System are very difficult to comprehend.

Yes, the librarians are finally receiving a 4-percent pay increase after years with no salary increases, but they continue to struggle with reduced staff and hours.

One wonders how many of the supervisors use the resources of our libraries or, for that matter, even have a library card.

Perhaps they have a basic misunderstanding of what libraries provide to the community. Maybe their impression of a library is that it is just a repository for books.

That is no longer the case. Our libraries support the community with numerous programs for everyone from youngsters to seniors.

I would suggest the supervisors should visit one of the Blackwater libraries and take a look at the programs offered. There are reading and storytelling programs for preschoolers, offering thousands of books before kindergarten.

Please come and check the Children’s Room in the Carrollton Library.

There are fun activities for kids and youth throughout the year — Master Gardener seminars, assistance at tax time to complete tax forms and help navigating Medicare. The Carrollton Library is also starting a craft program directed toward getting the residents of Magnolia Manor out once a month.

The county library budget does not fully fund these activities, and it is only through volunteers and fundraisers by Friends of the Library that we can offer all the programs.

Many citizens in the county do not have a computer or internet access, and the library is the only place they can find both a computer and internet availability.

We have a heavy military contingent in the county, and their families rely heavily on our libraries.

Library hours were reduced in previous budget cuts, and Blackwater hours are being reduced again this year, again because of budget cuts.

This will deny access to the community, even as usage of the libraries continues to increase.

I urge the Board of Supervisors to re-address the county’s priorities with regards to the needs of the community. I have both a library and a voter registration card and use both of them.

P.D. Arbuckle

Carrollton