I’m thinking about Rich Elfers column on the threat to the Dayton WA library (“Closing a library because of a few books is ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’”, published Aug. 30).

Years ago. as a young stay at home mom with two little girls and no car, the town’s Bookmobile was a Godsend. I could get a novel or cookbook or whatever and the girls loved picking picture books, maybe a puzzle or book for me to read to them.

Now libraries are a wonderland of technology, services, and opportunities.

I know the concern of some folks in the Dayton area is about children’s books. However many other folks rely on the library for everything from computer access, wi-fi, home schooling resources, arts and crafts activities, invited speakers, summer reading programs, and much more.

The world is changing and we don’t like some of it. Some of the history of this country makes us uncomfortable. It’s true that whatever we don’t like in books in the library we can still find on our cell phone or any electronic device without leaving the house. To cancel a source of community information, to remove parts one deems unacceptable, is like plugging a hole in a basket…the leaks are still there. Monitoring the books that comes into one’s home is a better time well spent than trying to delete a community system like the library that serves the whole community with many services, not just children’s books. The Dayton library is the only one is the county!

Parents have a responsibility to monitor their children’s reading material. Please don’t destroy the whole library for everyone in the process.

Ellen Koehn

Enumclaw