I am writing as a resident of Ross Township to express my extreme displeasure in reading [Commissioner Lana Mazur's] comments in a Post-Gazette article suggesting Ross withdraw from participation in the Northland Library system ("Ross passes library budget, to discuss quitting Northland," Oct. 29).

Mrs. Mazur: For you to claim that the library is a recreational benefit is absolutely preposterous. Obviously, you are unaware that some residents appreciate the library for its educational provisions -- not just the ability to access electronic media such as DVDs and CDs. To suggest that the township no longer supports an institution that provides essential educational needs is showing your lack of support for education itself.

Additionally, I suggest you review the library statistics from Northland's 2008 Annual Report where it quotes a total of 11,319 residents of Ross holding a membership at the library, the second highest municipality out of the five that provide support to the library. In fact, the Ross membership is greater than the combined library membership from Marshall, Franklin Park and Bradford Woods.

Furthermore, I would urge you to research the services this facility provides to residents which I would hardly qualify as "recreational." There are tutoring services available for students in kindergarten through college, something many households in Ross may not be able to afford independently. The library also provides assistance for adults in resume writing and job searching, a beneficial feature in the current economy. Wouldn't you agree? Senior citizens can also benefit from free tax form preparation assistance. The library provides access to learning foreign languages. If education is a recreational activity, then we all have a much bigger concern than the ability to provide funding to the library.

I urge you to educate yourself, Mrs. Mazur, on the library and all of the services it provides before you begin labeling it in the same fashion one would label Kennywood.

AMANDA BARTOCK

Ross

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