Kinsman library, built over generations, now needs support

Kinsman library, built over generations, now needs support

When I share with people about my childhood in Kinsman, Ohio, I never fail to mention the Kinsman Public Library. It was an integral part of my childhood and my development.

From my earliest years, I was taken to story hour and crafts in the basement. I participated in the summer reading program. I grew to know the librarians, who knew me by name and who could always point me to the right shelf. I would read books by the hundreds.

When I was finally old enough for my first library card, I was given a ticket, a ticket to an unexplored world and a ticket to academic success and personal growth. As a child, I spent hours reading, learning, analyzing, and developing a skill set which rivaled my peers from some of the best schools in the nation.

Kinsman Library, despite critics of the town and school district, provides this opportunity for those who take it. In my experience, some of the brightest and most well-read individuals that I have met call Kinsman home. We are not the stereotypical, ignorant, country “hicks.” The existence of the Kinsman Library and these observations are not coincidence.

The library represents the community’s commitment to education, whether it is the education of its youth, its elderly, or everyone in the middle. Andrew Carnegie gave the community a shell, but it is the community that has filled this shell.

The shell is now cracked, and if the 1.9-mill levy fails Nov. 8, we will fail generations of residents who committed themselves to the organization and continued development of our community’s greatest institution. More importantly, we will fail the youth who will never be given a Kinsman Library card.

The library has already been tightening its belt for several years. Hours have been cut. Staff has been reduced.

The library is an integral part of this community. Do not be the electorate that spells the end of its existence.

John Miller, Kinsman