In honor of 50 signatures, I have some facts about Baldwin, Milledgeville, and the libraries found within. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Baldwin County had a population of 44,906 in July 1, 2017. Milledgeville, the county seat of Baldwin County, had a population of 18,575 in 2017.

That means 41% of Baldwin's population lives in Milledgeville. The rest of Baldwin's population lives out in the country or in the Midway-Hardwick area. 

The reason 41% is an important number is because Milledgeville, the only large city in Baldwin County, is also home to the only two libraries in the entire County.

When I first started doing research on the library situation in Baldwin County, I had thought Milledgeville only having two libraries was a bad enough situation on its own. What I hadn't realized, however, was that Milledgeville's two libraries were meant to service 44,906 people.

By choosing to defund the library, the Baldwin County Commission is asking Milledgeville and its residents to pay $300,00 extra a year to maintain a service everyone in the county is supposed to utilize. Let's ignore, for a moment, the fact that Baldwin County only having two public libraries is already horrible. Let's instead focus instead on the fact Baldwin County is asking Milledgeville to take over the financial burden of the libraries despite the fact they aren't exclusive to only Milledgeville residents and are necessary for anyone in the county who wants to use the library.

Without the Mary Vinson library, not only will the 18,575 citizens of Milledgeville suffer, but the entire county will too.