(Editor's Note: The following essay was written by Marissa Steinberg, a sophomore at Syosset High School.)

A good school district and an informed community are based strongly on the quality of the local public library. The Syosset Public Library has planned a significant expansion of its facilities that will benefit all members of the Syosset community. The decision to expand the library is not a matter of desire; it's a matter of necessity. According to the Library Board the building was designed to hold 96,000 books, and today it is packed with nearly 246,000 items. There is no longer any room for new materials. Last year, 20,000 books that were still in circulation were discarded to make room for new additions. The building itself is also in need of major repairs. The new plans address not only the lack of space, and the much-needed improvements to the building itself, but also context additions.

A community vote on the proposed expansion plans took place at the Syosset Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3 2002. Astonishingly, the residents voted down the expansion with a vote of 932 (55 percent) against the expansion and 764 (45 percent) in favor of it. These numbers were extremely surprising to the library staff as the total number of voters was much lower than expected.

For a community with a population of about 27,500, like Syosset/Woodbury, conservatively assuming that approximately half of the population is of voting age, there would be about 13,000 eligible voters. Following this logic, it is surprising that only 1600 people (perhaps 12 percent of the eligible vote) voted on this referendum. Upon meeting with Library Director Judy Lockman, she indicated that it is typical, with votes involving the library, to have approximately 900 votes against, as was the case here. However, normally the number in favor greatly exceeds the 900 opposing the action.

The results of the vote on the expansion showed the usual 900 or so against; the surprise was that the number in favor was lower. This might indicate that the problem in this vote was simply insufficient voter turnout. There were two basic reasons for the lack of turnout-one, the assumption that the vote would pass easily, and the other being the lack of knowledge and awareness of the proposed library expansion in the community.

In the days following the vote, residents called the library asking when construction would start. When asked if they had voted, many said they had assumed the vote would pass and they had not even bothered to vote.

Another problem that might have caused the low turnout was the fact that the vote was on a weekday. It is reasonable to assume a good percentage of eligible voters work during the week, during customary business hours. Therefore, in the evening, after work, would be the only possible time these citizens could vote. However, those who have children have to help with homework, drive to after school activities, and numerous other tasks to complete during this evening time period. The busy schedules of many eligible voters, especially those who vote and have school-age children, along with some erroneous voter assumptions that the vote would pass without their participation, contributed to the poor turnout of voters who would generally have voted in favor of the expansion.

The standing 900 votes against must have some sort of rationale why the expansion of the library is not a cause worth supporting. Library Director Judy Lockman said, "Most people who expressed concern to us didn't criticize the project as much as the economic climate. The expansion is still a good idea, but maybe poor timing."

The preliminary cost estimate for the expansion was $13.3 million. In some cases, it is not the amount of money, it is simply the money in general. There are some residents who do not use the library, especially with the increased popularity of the Internet, and some residents do not feel the need to put money toward something they do not personally and directly benefit from. Also, residents who do not have children in the school system are less likely to see the advantage of the proposed library expansion.

Among those who are against the expansion of the library are those who oppose the lengthy process of approval and construction. According to the Syosset Jericho Tribune, after the bond required to fund the expansion is approved, it will take the architect several months to complete all of the architectural drawing. These plans would then be sent to the Building Division of the State Educational Department for review and authorization. Upon approval, the construction itself is estimated to take approximately 18 months. Some local citizens feel that by the time this lengthy process is completed, their children will no longer be in the school district (due to graduation or other reasons) and therefore they will not receive any direct benefit. Also, citizens who live in the residential area surrounding the library have voiced concern about the lengthy and burdensome construction process.

The library expansion process will be one that will benefit many residents of the Syosset community. For example, the addition of a new second floor dedicated and designed to be a comprehensive "Reference and Research Center" will be very beneficial to all students in the Syosset Central School District. This floor will have books, computers, Internet access, printers, photocopy machines, and group and individual study areas for student use. This entire area will also be furnished with state-of-the-art equipment. This area will be staffed with librarians who are both subject specialists and who will be available to work individually with students in the evenings and on weekends. These librarians will also offer help with homework, and instruction on the use of the databases that are necessary for school research projects.

Due to the building of the numerous senior housing developments in the Syosset/Woodbury community, the local population of senior citizens has grown tremendously. At the request of these residents, the library has increased its collection of large-print books, and has added many out-of-state newspapers. They have also obtained more current videos, talking books, DVDs, CDs, and books on travel and finance. The new daytime programs on such topics as computer instruction, art lectures, senior health fairs, first-run movies, etc., are well-attended. However, the library has run out of space and there is no more room for the collection of these programs and services to grow. For the benefit of the senior citizens of the community, the new expansion plans will add a minimum of 50 percent more bookshelf space for collection growth. Another library feature that is often important to this group of residents is the meeting rooms, which are currently used to watch movies or plays. Neighboring libraries have auditoriums with tier seating for these activities, and the new plans for the Syosset library include a comparable auditorium. Also, since many retirees are on fixed income, the average incremented cost of the expansion for residents in senior housing developments is only 56 cents a month.

Judy Lockman explained that there are also many aspects of the expansion that will help the general public as a whole, as opposed to any specific group. These proposed additions include a new heating and air-conditioning system since the current one is old and inefficient. In addition, there is significant heat and cooling loss from the library's tall single-pane non-insulated glass windows. The current mezzanine floor creaks from excess weight. The elevator has gone unimproved since the library was first built and is too small to meet the current building code. The lighting is not energy efficient and must also be changed. Other sections of the building are not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. All of these issues would be addressed in the expansion.

Those residents who are concerned with the cost of the proposed expansion most likely do not realize how little the expansion will actually cost them. As mentioned, it will cost residents of senior housing developments 56 cents per month, and for the average Syosset/Woodbury homeowner it will cost $4.92 a month, which is roughly $1.25 a week. In the 2002-2003 year, Plainview's annual library tax rate (per $100 of assessed value) was $4.18 and Jericho's was $2.64, whereas Syosset's was just $1.92. Therefore, even with the increase in the library tax rate as a result of the expansion, the community of the Syosset Public Library will not be paying more and will even be paying less than many of its neighbors. Even for the residents who do not use the library, the new expansion plan will not be a total loss. Upon the completion of the expansion, the house values of all residents will increase due to the fact that the library has improved. Much like the renowned Syosset school system, the library plays a vital role in determining the value of a house in our community.

There will be a new vote on the expansion of the library on June 3 of this year. In order to ensure that this bond passes, the Syosset community must be made more aware of how much they will benefit from the expansion. Although June 3 is once again a Tuesday, if the community is made more conscious of the situation farther in advance, they will undoubtedly make a larger effort to come out and vote. There are many actions that have been taken; yet there are many more that can still be done. The library has formed a group called "Friends for Library Expansion." This group meets on a regular basis to discuss possible ideas to spread the word through the community. Some ideas that they have come up with include calling residents to remind them of the upcoming vote, putting fliers in mailboxes, and placing reminders in the local papers. However, the most significant emphasis and attention has to be focused on the citizens who probably have the most to gain from the expansion - the eligible voters who have children in the school system.

The new "Reference and Resource Center" will be such a helpful tool to students of all ages, throughout their school years. Parents of high school students may feel their children will not benefit from the expansion because they will be in college before it is completed; however, when they return home during vacation breaks and find themselves having to write a paper, the new improved library will be a potential lifesaver. Therefore, action must be taken through the school system to inform students of all these benefits, so they can remind and encourage their parents to vote. According to Lockman, the library staff itself is not allowed to do any publicity within the school. Therefore, it is up to the people within the school to make their fellow students and resident teachers more aware. The formation of a student group, similar to "Friends for Library Expansion," would be able to make presentations to classes, put up fliers, and even send articles to local newspapers. The planning and development of this group would have to be done rapidly due to the proximity of the vote. However, if this group were formed and worked hard for a few weeks, the hard effort would be well worth it and the results would be priceless.