Election to public office confers no special knowledge, expertise, or wisdom. Witness the Fayette County Commission’s ongoing spat with the PINES Library System.
What does membership in PINES bring? Let’s start with what PINES stands for: Public Information Network for Electronic Services. At heart, PINES is information. PINES includes:
• A set of computer software that allows a library card holder to search the collections of nearly 300 public libraries in Georgia, to order books to be delivered to his or her home library, and to be notified when the book is received.
• A set of computer software that allows the library staff to check books in and out; monitor the popularity of books to help maintain the collection; and to track fines.
• Access by any library card holder to a growing set of audio books that can be downloaded to MP3 players, and e-books that can be downloaded to several kinds of e-readers.
• Internet access both in libraries and at home to databases that would otherwise require cost money to use.
There is no way that the resources available to our libraries could be duplicated at less cost than the current PINES membership. If Fayette County withdraws from PINES, costs will go up and access to information will go down.
At heart, PINES is information, and information is essential to freedom.
We must take back our government.
Paul W. Lentz, Jr.
Peachtree City, Ga.
