Our libraries have been shut down to in-person use for almost a full year now. Grocery stores are open. Shopping malls are open.  Private schools are open. All retail stores are open.  Many libraries in surrounding counties are even open. Yet buildings with books in them, paid for by our tax dollars in Jefferson County, remain closed. While we are grateful for the option of curbside service, it is a hassle in & of itself. In order to use curbside service, you must first know exactly which book(s) you want. Then go online & reserve them. Wait for an email saying that they are ready. Then make a phone call to schedule a time to actually pick them up, which can sometimes take up to a full week to find an available time. This is utterly ridiculous. To make it difficult for a society to have free access to books (paid for by tax dollars), can be the beginning of a downward slope for an entire generation, if not an entire society as a whole. In addition to this, there is simply no substitute for being able to browse aisles of books, which can spark the imagination & curiosity of both children & adults alike. We feel that it is past time for our libraries to reopen & that it can absolutely be done in a safe way now. If our retail stores can be open & have thousands of customers browsing the aisles every day, our libraries can certainly handle the amount of people interested in accessing the books & services that are being paid for by their hard-earned tax dollars.