To the Editor:

There are times when we have to question and oppose the thinking and decisions that are made by those entrusted with the responsibility to provide the best operating environment for the residents of Newtown. This is especially true in the case of the new library director, Shawn Fields, who has a plan to overhaul the existing layout of the library to fit into his concept of what our library should resemble in his mind.

Such decisions often create a sterile atmosphere because visitors and residents were not consulted beforehand in order to get their feedback and suggestions.

The current layout of space is very functional on both floors. I have to question the thinking of the current Board of Directors who have hired an individual who has no sense of the established learning environment in this library. We do not need to redesign an operating system that works fine. We do not need to spend more money to experiment with a new look. I have seen what happens to libraries when they create something that no one wants or likes.

Please attend the focus group meetings on August 15 at 11 am, August 14 at 10 am, and August 27 at 7 am, and let your voices be heard, especially over the dismissal of Andrea Zimmermann, who with other associates who created a “library culture” that is without equal. We cannot allow a few individuals to change what we have cherished and loved. Do not let them destroy the relationship we have developed.

Rudy Magnan

50 Watkins Drive, Sandy Hook                   August 13, 2013