THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503290120
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Until this year, the annual Author's Luncheon, sponsored by Delta Kappa Gamma to benefit the Katharine B. Woodward scholarship fund, had been strictly an adult affair.
But last Saturday's benefit took a new and wonderful turn.
The featured author was Suzanne Tate, who, along with James Melvin as illustrator, turns out wonderful children's books about sea creatures.
About 100 children were among the 350 people in the audience. The youngsters, dressed in their good clothes, were on their best behavior. They obviously liked being there.
Many who annually enjoy the luncheon are teachers and former teachers. This year, they brought along their children and grandchildren. One special group of kids came from John Tyler with members of the Kiwanis Club and others who visit the elementary school to read to the pupils.
The event was highly satisfying. Tate and Melvin did their ``crabby lady'' routine, much to the amusement of the kids. What a wonderful experience for young readers to enjoy and talk to a professional writer and artist.
Encounters with ``real'' writers and ``real'' artists make books important and personal to children. Finding out that the names on the books are people just like you also is very encouraging to would-be writers and artists.
Reading is just about the most important thing in life. For one thing, when you read something that's fun or beautiful or inspiring, you can go back and read it again.
Books are permanent. You can't accidentally erase them. You don't have to wonder if you heard right.
They are the repositories of all the knowledge we have in the world.
So who needs it? Everybody who is going to have a full, thoughtful life needs knowledge that just isn't on television or in the movies.
Hampton Roads is very fortunate to have a bunch of excellent library systems. Portsmouth has a wonderful public library for a city its size. But it doesn't matter which city you live in, you have easy access to the libraries across the city line.
But there's one catch: You have to get a separate card for each city.
When I realized this, I thought what a good place to institute regional cooperation - no politics, no power plays, none of those things that usually inhibit cooperative ventures.
Portsmouth Librarian Dean Burgess just happened to stop in the office Monday, so I asked him about regionalization. I realized I was naive to think it would be a simple accomplishment.
Forming a regional library has been discussed, he said, but some localities are afraid of the notion.
``Nobody wants to give up anything,'' he said. ``Even if it would bring in some money.''
``What do you mean, bring in money?'' I asked.
Large financial incentives are offered by the state to those who create regional systems, Burgess said. The incentives go back to the days when many counties had no public libraries and the state wanted to encourage existing libraries to go regional to provide bookmobiles for the bookless.
A Hampton Roads regional system would enable citizens - many of whom live one place, work another and shop in even another - to use libraries wherever they are most convenient. But Burgess does not see the libraries getting together anytime soon even with more money as bait.
It took a long time, he said, to get out-of-town user fees eliminated.
``But we finally agreed,'' he said.
Then, by gosh, when Virginia Beach built a new library, some city officials there were clamoring to reinstitute a user fee in that city.
Burgess said the librarians checked the records to find that more residents of Virginia Beach used libraries in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake than residents of the those cities used the Virginia Beach libraries. The facts apparently cooled the notion that Virginia Beach was paying for those of us from other cities to use its libraries.
As Burgess talked, I realized that creating a regional library system might not be as simple as it seems on the surface.
Although regionalization would be a great convenience for citizens, who now carry two or three library cards, and would bring a nice infusion of state money, it's probably too much to ask of city officials.
As far as I'm concerned, the libraries are at the top of the lists of assets in each city, despite periodic cutbacks in funds in one place or another. A regional system would enhance Hampton Roads and, because all the libraries are good, no city would be taking on problems of another in the process of regionalization.
But don't cut up your library cards yet! MEMO: Agree? Disagree? The Currents would like to hear from you. Send your
thoughts to The Currents, 307 County St., Suite 100, Portsmouth, Va.
23704-3702, or fax us at 446-2607.Agree? Disagree? The Currents would
like to hear from you. Send your thoughts to The Currents, 307 County
St., Suite 100, Portsmouth, Va. 23704-3702, or fax us at 446-2607.
KEYWORDS: REGIONAL LIBRARY by CNB