Library Quotes

I love the Shutesbury Library we have, but it was built over 100 years ago for a town of 400. It’s time for a new one, and this vote is our best chance to make that happen.

    Julie Stepanek

 
There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.  ~Andrew Carnegie

  Constructive participation and the development of democracy depend on satisfactory education as well as on free and unlimited access to knowledge, thought, culture and information. The public library, the local gateway to knowledge, provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social goups. This Manifesto proclaims UNESCO's belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women.                                                                                                  UNESCO Library Manifesto

“The opportunity awaits every youth as well as individual of maturer years to enter through the medium of books, the companionship of men and women of letters, who have had at their disposal the wisdom of the ages. The unequalled privilege never possessed before by modern civilization should inspire as well as animate the masses of the people.
Respectfully submitted
Library board of trustees William H. Hemenway-Chair  March 20,1908

From the M. N. Spear Memorial Library
Building Program July 2009
"Any expansion of the library must match the unique character of Shutesbury, respect the town and library history, reflect the needs of the residents, and be mindful of the budgetary limitations of a small town."

Shutesbury is our town. A small town with a very engaged and interesting populace. Amherst, for all of its proximity, is not in fact our town. We don’t vote there, and can’t join in on town committees. I moved to this area from a city so I could take part in small town life. The place and the way for me to do this is through town life in Shutesbury.

Emily Bloch

"I thought it was silly to build a big library in such a little town. I was worried nobody would use it and it would just be a big waste of time and money. I really feel like I was proven wrong. The place seems to always be full of people and I feel like it’s added significantly to our community. The computers, WiFi, yoga classes, movies, talks, art exhibits, all of it has added to the richness of our town. Now I can't really remember it not being there."
         Donna Horn- Wendell artist

There are many things to love about life in Shutesbury, but one that comes up every time is… You guessed it - the library! Whether it’s here in Scotland, or in California or in Colorado or any of the many places we’ve spent time in during the last few years, nothing reminds me more acutely of how special our home is than stepping into what passes for libraries in other places. I find direct parallels between a region’s quality of life and the quality of their libraries.

 Think of the possibilities! Get excited about them! Though we’re an ocean away, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing as we dream of returning to Shutesbury and as we envision the future prosperity of the town.

-David Durham

Sometimes taxes pay for the greater good of the community and contribute to a responsible investment for generations to come. This kind of civic endeavor is part of what makes a town a real town.

Vote yes today to make a difference in the future history of Shutesbury. In 50 years, at the tri-centennial, the "new" library will be celebrated as a legacy of community pride.

Dave and Susie Mosher