I see that friend of libraries, Michael Friedman, is back at it. Having done his best to torpedo the 1999 library funding referendum, he’s still sawing on the same fiddle. My volunteer library job on Monday afternoon put me in mind of him.

I was given a pencil and paper and asked to count all the people who came through the door (the first day of a weeklong survey for the Provincial Library Service). As the afternoon wore on I was reminded of the other guy who, some years ago, objected on two grounds to ArtSpring receiving any government money. Firstly, he said, nobody ever uses the place; secondly whenever he went for a ticket they were all sold out!

As more than 150 folks of all ages came through that door in three hours time (about 350 all day), I wished that Mr. Friedman could have been there. That’s well over 2,000 customers a week, bringing back bags and armloads of books and videos and CDs, coming to use the computers and the reference materials — they can’t all be wrong, can they? This Monday bunch appeared happy and content to me. They seemed not only to be enjoying this “tired,” “outdated,” “deficient” and “unprofessional” facility and its collections but actually benefitting therefrom and coming back for more.

I don’t know where Mr. Friedman is coming from or where he got his fiddle and bow, but his “music” is badly out of tune. He comes forth every 10 years to serenade us with sour notes and a tune full of accidentals in hopes if what? Converting us with his cacophonous concert of half-truths, exaggerations and downright falsities? Not a chance, Friedman, not a chance; come on down some afternoon and see how ill-tempered is your clavier.

Richard Moses,

Brinkworthy