If you were ever an avid fan of "Sesame Street," you might remember the public television slogan: "Libraries are the future."

Tuesday, at a meeting of the City Council, the fate of the East Lansing Public Library was in jeopardy when it and the repair of city streets and sidewalks were on the chopping block for funding.

However, the future of the library was insured by $50,000 in budget funding to aid in the updating of the institution.

The decision to continue this level of excellence is an important step in the promotion of the city as an accessible place for interested scholars, especially youth.

As a city where a respect for the arts is significant, East Lansing is further establishing itself among the world of the literate by allowing of the library to flourish and putting the demands of the streets and sidewalks second.

The East Lansing Public Library has always aimed its faculties toward the future, and even in its mission statement it pledges to "facilitate and promote lifelong learning."

And with the funding provided by the city, the library will have new materials and be more up-to-date.

The resulting increase in possible tourism and appeal to potential incoming residents as a result of an updated library could in fact promote enough revenue to later be used in the repairs of streets and sidewalks.

In this way, the City Council is not only doctoring the library, it is planning for the future.

However, it is important to note that sidewalk cracks are possibly dangerous and angry East Lansing drivers should be cautioned against overuse of "the bird" on the road.

But when weighing the long-term payoff of library funding in East Lansing against the risks of its fractured streets, it is obvious that the library provides a greater outcome.

Unless while leaving the library you trip on a crack and plant your face on the sidewalk.