Following up The Westbury Times articles "Carle Place Explores Contracting Library Services," (Jan. 18 edition) the State Board of Regents has made a well-meaning but certainly ill-considered ruling to require areas such as Carle Place, currently without its own library, to create a library district and build its own library or contract out for services from neighboring library districts. Complications abound, and, as a consequence of the Jan. 18 Carle Place School Board meeting, the lawyers will be consulted.

No doubt, the old system of families wishing library services being allowed to purchase them on their own from the fine Westbury Library would be preferable to expending tremendous energy in a rather dicey effort to convince Carle Place residents to vote to tax themselves in creating their own library district. Certainly all but one individual on the school board gave no indication of being ready to mount the ramparts in an extended campaign to convince the voters. Once again, the Regents mandate is a fine idea in theory, if not in practice, and, if the choice really comes down to all residents paying perhaps an average of $200 in library district taxes as opposed to not having any library services down the road, the choice is obvious.

First, the idealistic argument. Support for a library is tantamount to supporting the school district's efforts to teach our children to read. The Westbury Library's children's room has for decades provided wonderful learning experiences for preschoolers. When public schools were first championed by educators in the mid-nineteenth century they were greatly resisted with the point that people who wished an education for their children should pay for it themselves. Imagine America today without public schools. Imagine Carle Place children, without a fine basis in reading, functioning in the 21st century. Imagine attempting to encourage learning among our youth while they are aware residents would not support library services with their tax dollars.

Now the practical argument. How many home sales will be lost when young families realize that they might not have access to library services? Probably, a significant number! Yes, taxes are very high on Long Island, but not as much in Carle Place as elsewhere in the county. Disposable income for Long Island residents far exceeds the tax burden compared to the rest of the nation. Yes, some of the older population on fixed incomes find it difficult to deal with the high taxes, but Governor Pataki's Star Plus tax reduction program for our needy seniors is really quite handsome.

Finally, the nation seems concerned with moral regeneration, so do your part. Help stamp out materialistic values. Give your loved-one or child a library card for Christmas and fewer video games. It will probably be cheaper. Buy one or two fewer items at the Mall, or go out to dinner two or three fewer times. It will certainly be cheaper, and you will be proud that you were part of an effort to point our youth in the direction of self-improvement and more wholesome values.

Robert Comerford