Education is a cornerstone of a strong community and essential to its advancement.

The core values of opportunity and advancement resonate with area residents because they are at the heart of the American dream. In the Twin Counties, our young people need increasing support and resources to help them succeed in school and in life.

And there are dramatic economic costs when students are not prepared for school. In fact, the National Governors Association reports these costs are as high as $16 billion annually.

Braswell Memorial Library provides vital support and a lifeline to those whose options for advancement may be limited. We offer programs that teach early literacy skills, promote and encourage literacy for life and provide opportunities for a lifetime of learning.

The library also plays a vital role in meeting formal and informal learning needs. Early childhood education and literacy are critical for building a foundation for a lifetime, but many children are not getting the support they need to become successful readers and students. While may factors influence a child's classroom success, early intellectual growth and opportunity play a particularly crucial role. In fact, children exposed to reading at an early age are more likely to be reading at grade level by the end of third grade. Students who don't read over the summer enter school in the fall one full grade behind peers who are active summer readers.

The Institute for Learning Innovation tells us that as the world transitions from an industrial society to an information society, learning throughout the lifespan becomes increasingly important and education should not end when school does. While adult literacy rates generally rose between 1992 and 2003, one in seven adults still has a literacy level defined as "below basic." Adults face daily learning challenges, and today's world demands confident, curious minds and the ability to quickly adapt to change.

A study by the Gates Foundation found that 50 percent of children surveyed use library computers to do their schoolwork and that youth from low-income families are disproportionately likely to use library computing resources. Braswell Memorial Library helps bridge this gap by providing what is often the only access to computers and the Internet for many people in our community.

The library values

learning and recognizes its importance to a vital, stable community.

That's why we are actively working to support the education and lifelong learning needs of our community through a multitude of special programs and services: RAGSS; RAGSS 2; weekly storytimes; Learning Express (which provides practice tests and tutorials on many academic and licensing tests); classes on using the Internet, e-mail and common software; help with genealogical research; business resources and counseling (through our partnership with SCORE); and much more.

Braswell Memorial Library is a vital part of our community.

The library thanks all those who support us through their tax dollars and private contributions and promises to put every cent into services that strengthen our residents, our city and our counties.