An article in the Oct. 1 edition of the Butler Eagle reported the good news about the start of Mars Public Library's expansion project. However, that article contained other good news that should not go unnoticed. It is library officials' announcement that demand for the library's services has never been so high.

"Every year we have more and more participation in programs," said Heather Love, library director. "For example, our summer reading program for children has grown from 245 children in 2005 to more than 400 in 2007."

Love's statement is contrary to some people's belief that availability of the Internet is contributing to diminished use of libraries and could someday be the basis for the demise of libraries as they currently exist — although it must be noted that some people make use of libraries' Internet access.

Mars Library's expansion and the opportunities it will create for patrons will help ensure that the facility will remain a vital resource for the municipalities that it serves.

Those municipalities, in addition to Mars, are Adams and Middlesex townships and Valencia Borough. As a result of its membership in the Butler County Federated Library System, it is tied to the rest of the county.

Part of the initial phase of the project that will double the library's space will be to create a children's center and community hall. Computer and communications upgrades are part of the second phase.

Other components of the two phases include a new vestibule, a new facade and parking improvements.

The two phases, which carry an estimated price tag of $485,000, are to be completed by 2009. Sources for that money will be library patrons, businesses and business people, private foundations and other sources, including fundraiser events.

One fundraiser will be a Touch-A-Truck event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Trucks and other kinds of vehicles will be on display in the library's parking lot at 107 Grand Ave., and at surrounding parking lots, for children to touch and inspect, sit in and to learn about.

There will be a $5 admission charge for children between the ages of 2 and 16. There will be no admission charge for adults and children under 2.

"Touch-A-Truck" truly is a community event. . . ," Love said. "We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of local emergency services, municipalities, businesses and other members of the community in their willingness to donate vehicles and their time."

The money raised will be part of a lasting, positive investment that will benefit people young and old for decades to come.

According to the latest figures, the library boasted 5,732 library patrons. According to Love, Adams Township residents checked out 16,886 items from the library during the first nine months of this year.

Meanwhile, the children who participated in the summer reading program read a total of 9,160 books.

Numbers like that paint a picture of a vibrant library with many sought-after services.

Donald Bruckner, library board president, said, "Our patrons have wanted these improvements for some time now, and we've been working hard to make them happen."

That the project is now beginning is a significant development for the library's service area. But more important is the big role and popularity that the library continues to maintain within its service area.

It is to be hoped that the expansion project is the basis for even better numbers after the expansion is complete — despite the attention that the Internet consumes within people's homes.

This expansion presents an opportunity for library workers and supporters to re-emphasize what the library offers and how it can be useful to anyone who takes the time to visit it.