Hey, folks, lighten up! As I walk from our post office to Fairway Foods and other Strawberry Creek Shopping Plaza businesses, I often — make that usually — hear derogatory comments about the new library building.

The color, the doors, the parking, the cost of construction — everybody seems to have an opinion, and I haven’t heard much good.

Having toured America for five years, I have experienced libraries in numerous cities, towns, villages and hamlets. Often they serve as an outpost for WiFi or local information.

While Idyllwild’s current library may be in the top 10 for hominess, it’s certainly in need of services most modern libraries provide for today’s patrons.

Libraries today are far different from the traditional ones of the past, a natural evolution as the technological needs of the community change. Not affiliated in anyway with our library except as a user, I expect a vast improvement when the doors open to the public.

That’s why I find it annoying when I hear the cheap shots being hurled from the parking lot.

I suggest holding your comments until October when you have the opportunity to experience the new facility. Then we’ll all have a chance to walk in and find out what services are provided that we didn’t realize we’ve been missing.

Please remember: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Barry Zander
Idyllwild