by Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory
Library Director

In 1981, when the current Arlington Library opened, Mayor John Larson told people attending the opening he thought the new library was too small for his growing community. Now, 25 years later, his wife is the mayor of Arlington. And Mayor Margaret Larson also thinks the library is too small.
For some of us, its hard to remember what our world was like 25 years ago. For example:
The Empire Strikes Back was the featured movie at Arlingtons Olympic Theatre.
Arlingtons Jensen family was named Dairy Family of the Year for Snohomish County.
A basic Motorola cellular phone weighed two pounds and cost nearly $4,000.
On May 17, 1981, the Oso Firemens Association held an open house, celebrating its new facility.
The world has changed a lot since then, as has the Arlington community. Occasionally, we hear speculation that public libraries are becoming obsolete, its services and resources being replaced by the Internet. However, in our experience the opposite is happening. Over the last few years, the Arlington Library has seen a steady increase in the demand for library service. For example, since 2000 library check-outs have increased by 28 percent; there were more than 125,000 visits to the Arlington library last year and nearly 24,000 Arlington residents have library cards. The library in Arlington is far from obsolete.
Arlington has grown into a vibrant community in north Snohomish County. With that growth has come greater demands on library service and for library programs. Meeting those demands for the next 20 years is what residents of the greater Arlington community will be voting on Nov. 7. This is an opportunity to take a look into the future and assess community needs in the years between now and 2026. Over the next 20 years we know:
Technology will continue to change, and libraries should be flexible enough to change with as well. The current Arlington library has eight public computers; the proposed new library will open with a minimum of 32 computers, and the flexibility to respond to technology changes in the future.
In the last five years alone, the community demand for more books and other library materials has grown by 25 percent. The proposed library will offer significantly more shelf space, allowing for 55 percent more materials available on site for residents to check out.
Over and over we have heard from communities, including Arlington, the need to establish the library as a community center. The proposed library will have a multi-purpose room available for community use. In addition, the library will be part of the city of Arlingtons civic center plans.
Homeowners want assurance that their tax dollars are well spent. By law, funds generated through a library capital facility area can only be used to design, build, furnish and equip a new library. That money cannot roll into another fund for other uses. The funds stay in Arlington for Arlington.
Arlington is a community with a long history of library service. I hope on Nov. 7, each of you will take the opportunity to vote on the future of your library.