(Editor's Note: This letter, read at the Great Neck Library's annual meeting on Jan. 30, was voted on at a full membership meeting and this statement represents a firm majority of the Staff Association, non-administrative employees.)

It is with a deep sense of respect for this institution and those it serves, our patrons, that I write this letter. The staff of the Great Neck Library, as represented by its Staff Association, is concerned by a number of recent events and about the climate in this community. To allude to the literary: There's something rotten in the state of Denmark.

Our concerns are two-fold:

First, as many have recognized, we are laboring in a physical environment that needs an overhaul. The heating, cooling, and especially ventilating systems are inadequate. The windows are energy inefficient. We are cramped and our collection is suffering. We are beginning to discard important items because of space. Great Neck is losing its edge as one of the premier libraries on Long Island. Formerly, we were considered one of the best libraries in the state, possibly in the country. No more.

Second, and of equal importance, is our professional environment. For the past several years, the staff has been in the middle of extreme turmoil: changes in leadership, reorganization, audits, association protocols (proxies and voting), on and on - all distressing. We are worried that further stress may impact on service. We were hired to do a job and that is what we are here to do. In fact, it is a credit to this staff that the library has run so well under these circumstances. "The staff is the greatest resource this library has to offer the public." It is composed of people who continue to work hard to service this community and who are distressed by the reputation we are garnering. Moreover, we are especially distressed by the conditions under which our highly capable director was forced to work. It is hard to serve the many when one must counter the constant innuendo of the few. We wish her well in her new position and regret that we will not be able to enter a new era of librarianship and technological innovation with her.

Finally, we cannot continue to react to misinformation. We ask that this board exercise its stewardship proactively.

We look forward to a climate change in this community and ask that all members of the association and the Great Neck Union Free School District become informed on all the issues. A library is a terrible thing to waste - or destroy. Thank you for your time.