At the end of Rich's piece about the library's potentially multimillion dollar rebranding effort, he included a very important email address: library.board@spl.org.

That is the email address for the board the city librarian reports to. If the library is going to go ahead with the next stage of the rebranding effort, the board has to approve it. So a lot of people have been writing letters to the board, and since we broke the news of the rebranding effort, many of them have been CC'd to us.

Here are a few:

I just read that the push for a rebrand of the The Seattle Public Library could cost almost two million dollars. This seems like a waste of money (and time) to me. I regularly use the library and donate to the library and if this would certainly make me reconsider donating.

I remember getting an email about the rebrand with link to a survey weeks ago and I happily clicked the link to take the survey. I write "happily" because I like the library, I am enthusiastic about using the library and being a part of the library. When it was clear the rebrand was from The Seattle Public Library to Seattle Public Libraries, I thought it was a joke. I thought the whole thing was so ridiculous the I closed the link, without completing the survey. I promptly forgot about it until today. I had no idea expensive consultants were paid for that idiotic survey. That more money could be spent on such a superficial project is appalling.

As I mentioned, I donate regularly to the library. I voted in favor of the levy in 2012 for the library. My money is not endless and I like to think when I choose to donate, or vote to raise my property taxes, that money is going to be well spent. I do not consider this rebrand money well spent.

I am sure there is a better use for this money. It is too bad money was already spent on this folly. Please, do not waste any more.

Another letter:

There is no call to change the name of the library system. Nobody who has spent any time in Seattle believes there is just one library branch. The recommended name change will not interest one more child in a life of reading, and unless the plan is to outfit each branch with every book and material a user could possibly ask for, and discontinue systemwide requests, the plural is inaccurate. The work of the library is so important, and its reputation is not enhanced by branding trickery (it would not be the Library doing the tricking, but rather being tricked). Someone made up a reason you should give them money. Don't fall for it.

Another letter:

The SPL has feelers out to "re-brand" the library at a cost of over $2,000,000 including costs to change signage etc. for SPL. I can think of lots of ways that $2,000,000 might be better spent.

It was not a few years back that SPL had to cut back hours and days of operation because they lacked the funds to keep the library open and had to furlough for several times and make these library "holidays" when no services were offered. SPL should look at their priorities. You should not be spending money on re-brand when the branding that the SPL has at present is fully adequate.

Another letter:

Please do not throw money away on this unnecessary project. There is nothing wrong with the current brand - it is easily understandable and not overstated. What we as a community crave from the library is consistency, convenience, and accessibility. If this money could at all be used for creating new outreach programs or expanding operating hours, or giving our wonderful librarians a much-deserved raise, or even just on advertising everything the library already offers... any of those would be much more worthwhile than the proposed rebranding.

Another letter:

I am writing to express my profound displeasure with the proposed “re-branding” of the Seattle Public Library. THE Seattle Public Library, emphasis on the THE and the singular city-wide aspect of this institution. “The” expresses the singular nature of the entity and the singular emphasizes the interconnectedness of this unique and beloved system. We have -presently- a world-class library system.

Neil Postman famously asked, “What is the problem to which this is the solution?”

Another letter:

I read, with dismay, that Library has spent $365,000 for a "rebranding" consultant, and further intends to spend approximately $2million on this rebranding effort. To state this clearly: The Seattle Public Library is our one civic institution that consistently, year in and year out, works. Why on earth would SPL spend $2million in an effort to rebrand? to what end? what would this "solve"?

The Library is beloved in this town and is a vibrant, bedrock and critical public asset. It serves equally everyone - whether you are rich or poor - who wishes to use its multitude of services. If the Library has $2 million to spend, please spend it on core services - acquisitions or staffing or longer hours - the things that would make a real difference to real Library users...

Please, do not allow this to proceed.

If you haven't sent them an email yet, do so now. And if you want, CC us. And if you haven't read Rich's reporting yet, get on it.