Measure No. 1, which will be on the April 25th ballot and appear in your mailboxes around April 6th, will secure the expanded programs and hours that Spokane voters first approved four years ago by an almost two-to-one margin.

That same property tax levy of seven cents per $1,000 valuation is up for renewal, this time for seven years, at the same rate. We want to thank Spokane residents for their support then, and remind you what that levy passage allowed our libraries to do:

• Hours were extended at every branch
• Purchases of new materials were increased after cutbacks had been forced by weakened City of Spokane revenues
• Reading programs for children were expanded, as was outreach to virtually every age group
• User access to the libraries’ computers and technical materials in general were maintained and expanded
• Measure No. One will make sure all those services, and many others, remain available. Some will be expanded even more.

We’ll update you on many of the developments at Spokane libraries as we continue to shake off winter.

Thanks to many new services, you’ll be able to take the library with you when you move outdoors.