Regarding the letter to the Rockport Select Board sent by 100 Rockport citizens and Rockport Library patrons.

Why do we feel that it's important for Rockport to undertake a comprehensive independent community-wide survey regarding the future of our Library?

Because the "Listening Tour" was poorly attended. Fewer than 100 people (unique nonrepeating attendees) attended the five meetings with half of that number attending just one meeting in the village center.

Two years ago, the library did a survey and held focus groups with about 275 people participating. When the results showed that the vast majority of people wanted the library to stay at its current location the Library Committee said that 275 people was not a big enough sample and thus invalid.

Also, the "Listening Tour" produced no real or quantified data. It only asked general questions and only recorded random answers; mainly as partial sentences or word phrases. Many of the recorded comments came from repeat attendees. No polls were taken. No measurable, prioritized, or rated questions were asked, answered, or recorded. Many of the questions were subjective and leading. The random word phrases were then fed into a Word Generator (a web service like Wordle) which puts out a graphic word picture that's called a "Word Cloud". The "listening Tour" and its resulting "Word Cloud" did not produce an accurate evaluation of our library's needs. A comprehensive community-wide survey would.

Why do we feel that an independent and thorough analysis should be made of our current library building and site?

Because the Steering Committee report states that they had "conversations" with two members of Public Works Department, about the "possible repair and expansion" of our existing library, as well as citing "the LC's previous structural evaluation" as reasons for their conclusion that expansion of the current library building was not possible.

First of all, "conversations" do not constitute a professional analysis or study and secondly, the "previous structural evaluation" cited was proven last summer to never have been done. No professional structural and engineering analysis has been done and no professional architectural, ergonomic, or curatorial studies have been done. The Steering Committee also reported that they hired three professionals to look at the current library site. After the professionals "reviewed" the site they responded to the Steering Committee with a "memorandum" answering a set of very generalized questions related to the current Library and other possible sites. No structural and engineering analysis was done and no architectural, ergonomic, or curatorial studies were done. And, no formal reports were provided. Conversations, memos, and site walks do not constitute an independent and thorough analysis of our current Library.

Why would we like to have a public meeting before rather than after the ballot process gets started?

Mainly because we have asked to have the above actions taken several times over the past year and a half at several public Library Committee meetings and never has our request been acknowledged or acted upon. It is unfortunate that the Library Committee has recently chosen to publicly blame our group for somehow blocking the public's right to vote on this issue. This simply is not true and it is not a proper thing to say about these well intentioned citizens. This "political spin" approach may be standard practice in Washington DC but should not be acceptable to the good people of Rockport, Maine!

Jim Ruddy lives in Rockport.