— from Norm Stamper —
The current Orcas Island Public Library was built 25 years ago, at a time when computers were still a novelty, smartphones were science fiction, and no one had ever read an e-book. Today, these new technologies are ubiquitous, and they are not going away.
Our library is a haven for people who do not have access to high-speed Internet, allowing job-seekers and knowledge-junkies alike to easily enter the world of information the Web opens up. It is a place where e-books are rented alongside print books and DVDs. It is a meeting place, a community hub, a home-office-away-from-home for many remote or self-employed workers. The library is a place where children discover the wonder of words. It is non-partisan, and open and welcoming to anyone regardless of economic means or social standing.
It’s no wonder that with all this seven-days-a-week hustle and bustle, the library has outgrown its physical space. There is no quiet reading area, the Young Adults section has maybe a walk-in closet’s worth of space, the center aisles are over-crowded, and for every new book that comes in, another must leave.
Your Yes vote on the Levy Lid lift on November 8 will allow Orcas Island’s wonderful library to complete it’s urgently-needed expansion. Vote Yes for our library, and for our community.
The first ebooks were published and distributed on the ARPANET in 1971. 45 years ago. Just two years after we landed on the Moon.
The first text released was the Declaration of Independence.
Michael Hart, the fellow who got the ebook ball rolling and eventually started Project Gutenberg just passed away ~5 years ago.