Our View: A library that's for everyone helps all

We’re pleased to see the Cloquet library expansion moving forward, and have some suggestions.

First, we note that the library is a regional treasure: no one checks your ID when you come in and when you check out; your Arrowhead library card is all you need. Except for some support from the Arrowhead Library System, the library is run and financed by the taxpayers in Cloquet. The city has reached out to neighboring communities whose citizens frequent the library, to help financially, but most already contribute to the Arrowhead Library System and they feel that is enough. But it’s not.

So, we’d love to see some collaboration with other Carlton County communities. The Fond du Lac Band realizes the regional value of the library and has expressed interest in participating financially. We’d

encourage such cooperation with the Band, and with any other local community or the county itself. It takes a lot of money to keep the library open.

Second, the Shaw Memorial Library Foundation, which has generously raised funds for the library for years, has committed $250,000 to the expansion, and hopes to raise another $250,000 through fundraising. When they come asking, we hope you donate. It all adds up: penny drives by school kids, $20 from their folks, larger donations from local businesses that want to show support.

Finally, this may be the perfect opportunity to incorporate a community center concept with the new design. We know the library is a popular meeting place for young teenagers, most of whom don’t drive yet. Add in Seniors, parents of young children and, well, just about everyone else, and using the library as a community center makes sense.

At a time when old-fashioned ideas like “libraries” seem nostalgic, it’s nice to see our community investing in a library expansion. We hope to see active community involvement at all levels.