Monday's opening of Albany's new library was a red-letter day in the mid-valley.

For one thing it was the outward sign of an act of enormous generosity, for without a multimillion-dollar private donation the main branch of Albany's two-branch system would still be housed in its cramped old home down the street. That was great when it was built in the 1970s, but for a long time now it's been worn out and cramped.

But also, and just as significant, the opening of the library in a renovated insurance company headquarters signaled that despite changes in the way many people get information, libraries are still very much in demand.

You only have to watch children browse through stacks of books for their age group to appreciate what libraries do. Among other things they prove that lots of parents care enough for their children to take them to the library, and that a lot of young children are not brought up only on TV. That is good news indeed.

Some of us remember a time long ago - in another century actually - when a visit to the public library and going home with an armful of books was the highlight of the week, or the month. And we remember some of the things we read. They helped us become aware of the world and interested in what goes on.

It is reassuring to know that libraries - especially the new main branch of the Albany Public Library - still fulfill that function.

Libraries do a lot of things for other age groups as well, as we all know. And it's fine for libraries to provide a chance for adults to sample the collection, check out materials to take home, read periodicals in easy chairs out of the rain, or use the computers to access the Internet.

But their most important function is what they do for children and for their parents - and thus for us all. They help the parents pass on the tradition and the importance of reading and of knowledge. And by doing that, they do their part in keeping civilization alive.

May Albany's library - the new branch on 14th Avenue and the handsome old building downtown - continue to do that long after we are gone. (hh)