Sarah Harris got the ball rolling this week, with these reports on how North Country libraries are faring in tough economic times:
North Country libraries: balancing services, budgets
Librarians talk about their jobs

My home away from home. Photo: Trevor Alford
In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m in the middle of my second term as an elected trustee of Potsdam Public Library, but I’ve been a card-holder there (and an enthusiastic patron) since I got my very own round-cornered ivory-colored library card in 1958 at the age of five. To me, the library has always been the sovereign antidote to ignorance, isolation, and boredom. I have become what is now called a “power-user” of this most American of civic resources.
And I’m not the only one to feel this way. Brian Mann picked up the thread in this In Box post:
So how's your local North Country library doing…and do you care?
So far, 24 people have weighed in, almost all singing the praises of their own local library.
In many smaller towns, the public library is the last institution standing, making the difference between a hamlet surviving as a going concern, or becoming just another rural housing cluster. That’s why it was such great news to hear the story of the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay. Both building and collection were heavily damaged by Irene flooding. But through a huge outpouring of volunteer community support, it’s back up and running five months later. You might want to stop in at their re-opening celebration Saturday at 1 pm:
If your local library is still a blank space on your mental map of the community, drop by sometime. Here’s a little love poem, "Men at the Library," for my favorite home away from home.







We all have companies we hate doing business with–poor service, steep pricing, shoddy products. I came across an article in 