Letter to the Editor

The Austin Public Library has done it again. In an ever growing battle to please the masses of our quaint town of Austin, our little library continues to serve the public’s needs. They are constantly trying their best, and succeeding, to please the general public by gaining new materials to lure the imagination of avid, new and old readers alike. In doing so they have ever so recently added even more mystifying selections such as: Sabrina The Teenage Witch. This magical story has been available in book form already but now seasons 1-4 are available on DVD. Our library offers wonderful book selections and an ever growing movie selection as well. Yes, it’s true that the library also offers movies to rent for free.

The story of Sabrina the teenage witch is a very alluring magical tale that starts off with young Sabrina Spellman waking up on her 16th birthday to discover she’s actually a witch. With her mortal mother on an archeological dig in Peru and her father living in her magical spell book this story is one magical twist after another. She is living with both her aunts, Hilda and Zelda, who are also witches that are meant to guide her in her new found powers. And what’s a story without a small, furry and lovable companion? Yes, a cat. But not just any cat. A talking cat named Salem Saberhagen who has a colorful history of his own as well. During this whole new realization of having magical powers she is, after all, a teenager. And like all teenagers she must attend a high school where her magic always seems to backfire. But she does find some solace from her best friend Val and her boyfriend Harvey. But whenever there are friends there are also people out to make your life miserable. A snobbish cheerleader named Libby and cruel vice-principal Mr. Kraft take on that role. While no mortal is actually allowed to find out she’s a witch, there are always close calls that leave you holding your breath. But with the help of her magic spell book, her aunts, Salem and some teenage finesse the day always seems to end in smiles with a valuable lesson learned.

These wonderfully nerve wracking episodes are available for rent at our library and only our library of Austin, Minn. Our faithful library does indeed own and offer some materials no other library offers. These materials were able to be rented at another location but alas were damaged beyond repair. So what did our valiant library do to fix the demand that just couldn’t be met? They ordered brand new copies to be made available to all the public’s viewing pleasure. Not all requests make the cut but some of them do manage to catch the ever watchful eyes of the dedicated helpers we call librarians. Those people that listen and answer the pleas for help of those that matter the most to all libraries across the USA — we the readers. So stop in today to rent a good book or even a movie if you do dare. But do it here in Austin where all the librarians do … is care!

Eric Young

Austin