I want to, right from the start, thank all those individuals involved in the newly renovated Mineola Library. I am amazed and overwhelmed by the vast improvements that were made. In the Mineola American's reporting of the opening of the new library, they neglected to recognize the individuals, and I might note that there are very few of them, who work so diligently inside the building.

I'm sure the politicians within the village all deserve their thanks, but let's not forget that it's the citizens of Mineola and the library staff, under the direction of Carol Ahrens, who have always shown a great deal of enthusiasm and concern for the patrons of the library.

I am on staff at a neighboring library, Shelter Rock, where many Mineola residents have grown accustomed to its services and hours of operation. I just want to remind those Mineola residents that they now have a great facility at their disposal and to demand that services be properly offered. In all its beauty, there is still a disappointing situation that surrounds the library. The fact is that many Mineola residents cannot take advantage of the new facilities. Figuratively, the village in its great wisdom, chose to build and open a new restaurant and now is turning its attention to hiring waitresses.

According to the library board, at their December meeting, it might not be until March 2001, that the library's hours of operation increase and begin to serve all the residents of Mineola. The library board hopes to have the hours of operation for the library resolved by March. The board made it clear that the hours of operation for the library reflect the current availability of staffing. The working taxpayer can only use the library approximately seven hours per week. As of now, the library is open three hours for those who work on Wednesday night and four hours on Saturday morning.

That fact alone is pathetic and demonstrates to me poor administrative skills from those who were so "instrumental" at village hall for designing the new library. The village library board when questioned by myself about the hours of operation, noted that they were discussing a possible survey of the community asking the residents about the possible hours that would best serve them and attempt to serve most people. I thought at the time it was a good idea but sometime later, I realized that there should be no compromise when it comes to library services. This community has done without proper library services for too long. It seems ridiculous to waste the time on a survey, since the residents of Mineola who are paying for library service, deserve those services. Furthermore, I doubt very much that the residents of Mineola will agree to limited hours that do not make the library accessible to everyone in the community.

As a future educator, I feel most concerned about the students of the village.

Once again, I want to thank those people inside the library who do a great job, day in and day out, who truly serve the residents of Mineola with great spirit.

James Randle