Thanks, Wake County librarians. You got me and hundreds of others through the pandemic.
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Wake librarians came through for the community
On what I hope is the tail end of this pandemic, I want to thank our beloved Wake County librarians.
About a year ago they had to close the libraries. They taped the book-drops shut, locked the doors and left books on the shelves, stuck in their homes, just like the rest of us.
It was the right thing to do, of course. But I remember eyeing my last library haul, the books my kids and I would commit to memory over the coming months, and thinking how unsteadying this particular piece of news was: The public library — our community’s place of come-what-may welcome and access — was closed.
Not being able to use that space was a considerable loss, especially for kids not in school, especially for those with nowhere else to go, especially for people needing technology. But the space isn’t all we lost. For a moment, we also lost the librarians — the folks who bring the library to life, both in practice and in spirit.
Thankfully, we didn’t lose them for long. They quickly rolled up their sleeves and translated the library’s come-what-may welcome and wide-open access to online platforms. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’ve long suspected that librarians are more renegade than they seem.
They recorded online story times, curated downloadable book lists, patiently taught us how to use the Libby app, reviewed resumes via email, and hosted online author visits. When things opened up a bit, they treated readers to Express Book Bags, Adventure Bags for kids, and Storytime to Go.
Librarians showed up!
I hope they know their hard work was worth it. They helped preserve the sanity of this mom to young kids, and I know many others have their own reasons for gratitude.
We see you, librarians — even behind the mask and plexiglass barrier. Your bookish tenacity matters, and your community is grateful.
Susanna Klingenberg, Raleigh
Reestablish tobacco prevention funding in NC
North Carolina recently received payment of $167 million from tobacco companies as part of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) to help compensate our state and its citizens for the direct and indirect costs of tobacco use and addiction.
The MSA is an agreement between major cigarette manufacturers and the attorneys general from 46 states that, every year, tobacco companies will send funds for damages caused by tobacco-related illnesses and for education about the harmful effects of tobacco use.
On average North Carolina has received $140 million annually from the MSA. Approximately $17 million — just over 10% of what N.C. received this year — used to be spent annually on tobacco use prevention programs in the state. No money is spent for this purpose currently.
Over the past 10 years in North Carolina, e-cigarette use has skyrocketed, especially among teenagers, increasing more than 100% per year. That has directly coincided with removal of funds for tobacco use prevention by the N.C. legislature beginning in 2012.
The reason given by legislators to defund tobacco prevention programs was a budget deficit. These funds have never been reinstated. Would we stop paying for traffic signals because of a budget deficit? Siphoning away tobacco use prevention funds for other expenses makes no sense.
Practicing as a general internist for 35 years and observing the extraordinary health differences that develop over time between smokers and nonsmokers, providing information about the harmful effects of tobacco use is of paramount importance to our teens as they prepare for adulthood.
Not being addicted to tobacco products confers a higher likelihood of being more consistently and better employed, with better health, and having an overall better sense of well-being. I see it every day. It’s brutally obvious.
Dr. Robert Nevill Gates, Greensboro
