Wednesday, October 7, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Libraries are
community
On the hunt…
By Linda L. Davis
Deschutes Public Library Zone 2 Board Member
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
A red-tailed hawk takes flight from a fence post in search of its next meal.
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and
phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions
not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a
response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items
are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.
To the Editor:
I certainly agree with all the read-
ers that wrote regarding the CEO of Laird
Superfoods9 proposed invasive (develop-
ment) of the prime Forest Service properties
in the middle of Sisters to house employees
of their once-small operation, which is now
being expanded to 500 people.
This is presumptuous and arrogant on
their part with absolutely no consideration for
the effect it will have on our community. We
need to petition City Hall to stop this deba-
cle. This is exactly what Governor McCall
warned against many years ago if we were
not diligent to protect our precious resources.
Jeanne Brooks
s
s
s
To the Editor:
A few weeks ago HB 4203, which bans
chokeholds by Oregon9s peace officers, was
signed into law. It passed 52-5 in the Oregon
House and 25-1 in the Oregon Senate.
Regrettably, our state Representative
Daniel Bonham was among the very few
who voted against this bill. Even most of his
fellow Republicans voted for it. Thus far, he
has offered no public defense of his vote,
but that9s not surprising. There really is no
defense for his vote.
This is the critical text of the bill: <A peace
officer is not justified in any circumstance in
knowingly using physical force that impedes
the normal breathing or circulation of the
blood of another person by applying pres-
sure on the throat or neck of the other person,
unless the circumstance is one in which the
peace officer may use deadly physical force
as provided in ORS 161.239.=
In other words, police officers may not
use a chokehold unless the situation requires
deadly physical force as described in Oregon
Law. You can read about those circumstances
See LETTERS on page 9
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Scottish-born business-
man and philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie made his
fortune in steel, but used
his wealth to build librar-
ies. Beginning in 1880, he
gave away $60 million to
build 1,689 libraries across
the United States. Many still
exist as libraries, and oth-
ers as community centers,
museums, art galleries or
other uses. In 1889, he said,
<In bestowing charity, the
main consideration should
be to help those who help
themselves.=
As a poor, uneducated
young man who wanted
to improve his lot in life,
Carnegie sought admit-
tance to his local library in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
which at the time was not
free. He persuaded the
administrator that the library
should be free and open to
all. The idea of a free library,
open to all, regardless of
social or economic status,
was launched.
Deschutes County is for-
tunate that 22 years ago the
voters approved the forma-
tion of the Deschutes Public
Library District (DPL) as a
property-tax-funded special
district. No longer compet-
ing with other county ser-
vices, DPL has grown and
transformed itself to meet
the needs and challenges of
the new millennium and with
a plan for the future.
The DPL with its six
branches, including Sisters,
offers materials and ser-
vices never envisioned by
Carnegie. The internet is
not a competitor but is an
integral part of DPL9s digi-
tal products and services.
The list includes genealogy;
Chilton auto repair manuals;
DIY manuals; over 1,000
magazines; Lynda.com and
Gale instruction courses 4
the list goes on.
Oh, yes! There are books!
Thousands of them! Books
are and will always remain
the backbone of the library
system. Here again, some
think that physical books are
a thing of the past because
of the availability of digital
books. Surprisingly, while
the District has an enormous
collection of digital books,
many people still like or pre-
fer physical books. Children,
especially, learn the joy
of reading through picture
books, and the children9s
section is one of the most
popular in each branch.
Many things go on in the
libraries besides checking
out books. All libraries have
computers available for pub-
lic use. Children9s story time
attracts thousands of chil-
dren each year. More than
400 programs were provided
during 2019 and they have
continued online during the
pandemic. Libraries pro-
vide space for art exhibits
and special demonstrations
like the wildly popular Train
Man9s model train set-up
at Christmas. They provide
resources and services to our
community members such
as technology, early learn-
ing resources, job search
and resume assistance, com-
puter classes and cultural
programs.
Are you wondering if you
need legal assistance with
a particular problem? DPL
partners with the Deschutes
County Access to Justice
Committee to offer free
30-minute consultations with
an attorney offering general
legal information or referrals
to other agencies. Are you
thinking of starting a new
business or wanting help
with an existing one? DPL
has a full menu of resources
to help. Or maybe you have
a unique research problem
or issue you need help with.
You can <Ask a Librarian=
for assistance.
As much as anything else,
libraries are community.
Andrew Carnegie knew this
and said, <A library outranks
any other one thing a com-
munity can do to benefit its
people. It is a never-failing
spring in the desert.= Being
free and open to anyone, our
libraries are centers of equal-
ity, community belonging
and places of safety. Sisters
is stronger and more cen-
tered because of its library.
All past incurred debt to
build or improve the DPL9s
six branches has been paid
off. The DPL has not gone
to the voters to ask for more
money for either capital
projects or operations for 22
years. Measure 9-139 on the
November ballot gives us the
opportunity to update and
expand the Sisters Library to
better serve our community.
The expanded space will
provide more open and flex-
ible spaces for a variety of
community uses from after-
school tutoring to creative
DIY activities to book club
gatherings and small busi-
ness meeting space 4 some-
thing for everyone! While
2020 has been difficult, it is
important to look beyond the
current times and plan for a
strong future.
Voting <yes= will ensure
we can do just that!
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.