AM, I just want to say how I admire you. You have a focus and clarity about your goals that I envy. I wish you all the best and really do know I have my fingers crossed that you get into the nearest school.
Ladies, I wrote a letter to the director of the library. I'm pasting it below but changed some identifying words. Please critique if you can. Thanks.
July 10, 2009
Dear Library Director,
I want to start this letter by first commending you for the wonderful improvements that have been made at the The Public Library under your direction. They have not gone unnoticed. The library is a more beautiful place and things are running more and more efficiently. The additional programs that have been added are a real attraction and the monthly calendars/lists of events are extremely helpful. I want to take the opportunity to say thank you for making the library experience a more pleasant one for this town's residents.
Last Tuesday, July 7, 2009, I visited the library with my two children. I was surprised and disturbed to find that the TV was out in the front of the room and a DVD was playing. The DVD, as I later learned, was “Teen Titans”, and while I don’t have a problem with my children watching cartoons, this particular one was just not appropriate as most of the children who were present were under the age of six. While I felt it was inappropriate to have the television on altogether, I simply asked for a replacement DVD better suited to the audience. However, I was exceedingly disturbed by the fact that the TV was on in the first place especially in the Children’s Room of the library, a place that should be promoting literacy and learning.
Television, DVDs, and other media do have a place in the education of children but they must be used in a structured and focused way. To have the television on in the background presents many problems and makes me wonder what kind of message we are trying to give to the children of this town. Is it that we need distractions from books? Or that books are not enough to capture our attention and keep us entertained? I trust these are not the messages we want to convey.
Rather than just complain about the situation, I am willing to do what I can to fill whatever gaps in programming at our library that may lead to the feeling that the television should be on. I am a skilled crochet and knitting artist. I know there is already a program in place to teach crochet to children but I would be willing to facilitate more of those workshops if there is an interest. Recently, I took my children to a library in a neighboring town for a yoga and movement program only to be turned away. The program, slated to start at 2:00, was already full by 1:30. Implementing a yoga and movement activity at our library would most likely generate a great deal of interest. While I am no yoga instructor by any means, I do practice yoga and would be happy to lend support in finding a yoga instructor willing to donate his/her time to teach yoga to the children of this town at our library. I would be more than happy to facilitate and assist in such a program as well.
I am not privy to all the reasons why decisions are made at the The Library but I know that plenty of thought has gone into and will continue to go into the difficult task of running the County’s central library. The Library is improving steadily and it is small changes that make such noticeable positive impacts.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
With warm regards,
Me
Ladies, I wrote a letter to the director of the library. I'm pasting it below but changed some identifying words. Please critique if you can. Thanks.
July 10, 2009
Dear Library Director,
I want to start this letter by first commending you for the wonderful improvements that have been made at the The Public Library under your direction. They have not gone unnoticed. The library is a more beautiful place and things are running more and more efficiently. The additional programs that have been added are a real attraction and the monthly calendars/lists of events are extremely helpful. I want to take the opportunity to say thank you for making the library experience a more pleasant one for this town's residents.
Last Tuesday, July 7, 2009, I visited the library with my two children. I was surprised and disturbed to find that the TV was out in the front of the room and a DVD was playing. The DVD, as I later learned, was “Teen Titans”, and while I don’t have a problem with my children watching cartoons, this particular one was just not appropriate as most of the children who were present were under the age of six. While I felt it was inappropriate to have the television on altogether, I simply asked for a replacement DVD better suited to the audience. However, I was exceedingly disturbed by the fact that the TV was on in the first place especially in the Children’s Room of the library, a place that should be promoting literacy and learning.
Television, DVDs, and other media do have a place in the education of children but they must be used in a structured and focused way. To have the television on in the background presents many problems and makes me wonder what kind of message we are trying to give to the children of this town. Is it that we need distractions from books? Or that books are not enough to capture our attention and keep us entertained? I trust these are not the messages we want to convey.
Rather than just complain about the situation, I am willing to do what I can to fill whatever gaps in programming at our library that may lead to the feeling that the television should be on. I am a skilled crochet and knitting artist. I know there is already a program in place to teach crochet to children but I would be willing to facilitate more of those workshops if there is an interest. Recently, I took my children to a library in a neighboring town for a yoga and movement program only to be turned away. The program, slated to start at 2:00, was already full by 1:30. Implementing a yoga and movement activity at our library would most likely generate a great deal of interest. While I am no yoga instructor by any means, I do practice yoga and would be happy to lend support in finding a yoga instructor willing to donate his/her time to teach yoga to the children of this town at our library. I would be more than happy to facilitate and assist in such a program as well.
I am not privy to all the reasons why decisions are made at the The Library but I know that plenty of thought has gone into and will continue to go into the difficult task of running the County’s central library. The Library is improving steadily and it is small changes that make such noticeable positive impacts.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
With warm regards,
Me
I think this letter is very well written.
Love it...very balanced and offers great suggestions.
I am from Brooklyn, NY and have two sons with another on the way! I am of Puerto Rican heritage and DH's family is from El Salvador. Makes a very interesting family dynamic! 
: Bkmami, I'm in Bk as well 
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