Dear Editor,

In an age when public institutions face constant budget pressure, I want to celebrate one that consistently exceeds expectations: the Winona Public Library.

Last month alone, the library hosted a coding workshop for teens, a Medicare information session for seniors, an ESL conversation group, and a Saturday morning story hour that my granddaughter looks forward to all week. The staff know their patrons by name and go out of their way to help, whether it’s tracking down an obscure interlibrary loan or helping someone navigate an online job application.

In a community our size, the library is more than a building full of books — it’s the great equalizer, offering every resident free access to knowledge, technology, and community. We should be proud of what we have, and we should fund it accordingly.

Dorothy Kazmierczak, East Burns Valley