James River Valley and in the Dakotas more broadly, communities still value their libraries.
• "A public library helps keep the status of the community on an intellectual level and provides a wonderful pastime for many people," Lowary said.
• It can also be a place where people can gather on neutral ground.
• "A lot of times in rural areas, the library can be a focal point for the community," said Al Peterson, president of the North Dakota Library Association. "The nice thing about a library, it's open to anyone and everyone. You don't have to be rich, you don't have to be poor. You don't have to be Catholic, you don't have to be Lutheran. You can be anybody you want to go to a library."
•  

• Doing more with less
• In the Dakotas and elsewhere, the costs that rural libraries have to pay are going up: "Books cost more--anything you want to do costs more," said Annie Brunskill, past president of the South Dakota Library Association.
• Other costs affect libraries as well: Utility costs  can strain library budgets, and so can postal increases, because interlibrary loan book exchanges are

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