Nine-year-old Logan Rogers loves her library.
"I come here every week with my mother," said Rogers, a fourth-grader.
Wednesday afternoon, Rogers and dozens others came to show their support for the libraries of Youngstown and Mahoning County. The main branch on Wick Avenue held a "lights out" event, intended to show what could happen if Issue 6 is not passed on next week's ballot.
"In the long run, I think that people would not be as intelligent as they were, children wouldn't be able to read as much. We would all be affected in a really bad way," said Rachel Warren, of Youngstown.
Issue 6 asks voters to approve a five-year, 1-mill renewal tax levy.
"The whole purpose of this renewal is that so the situation doesn't get worse," said Carlton Sears, the executive director of Public Libraries of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
Renewing the levy won't reverse cuts or add hours, but it is a major source of funding for all 16 branches.
"It doesn't bring back the state funds. It's not going to bring back the lost hours. But, if we lost the only other source of income, there would be a lot of other lights going out," said Sears.
Even after seeing staff cuts and shrinking hours, those here say the libraries are still an asset to the Valley.
"It's such a great part of the community. It's somewhere for kids to go, somewhere for adults to go. I mean, where else can you go where there's free books? And free DVD's? It's a place to come and learn, and it was always open to us. I think we took it for granted a little bit," said Erica Jones of Campbell.
Kourtney Douglas, a student at Ursuline, agrees.
"I hope that people come out to vote and really start to value what they have here in the Valley. I know people sometimes disregard Youngstown, but what we have is really good," said Douglas.
A reminder that the issue will be listed as the "Reuben McMillan Free Library Association" on next week's ballot, not the Public Libraries of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
