By Jim Heffernan
I remember why I chose this book. It was the library’s fault. They waved it in front of me while I was doing an unrelated search on their website https://millennium.oceanbooks.org/iii/cas/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Fencore.oceanbooks.org%3A443%2Fiii%2Fencore%2Fj_acegi_cas_security_check&lang=eng
I love libraries and we are blessed to have a very fine library here in Tillamook.
I’ve loved libraries since the 50’s when my walk home from elementary school passed by a branch library. My parent’s worked so I always had some time to luxuriate among the books. Being surrounded by books was nirvana for me.
Libraries, and the printed word, are not so popular these days. They have been replaced by our phones and screens, a very inferior substitute. It saddens me and our society suffers.
As the title of the book suggests, the library is much more than a storage place for books and tapes. More importantly, it is a place to “foster social connection and promote democracy”. Subscribing to their newsletter reveals just how much more it is. You can view and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.tillabook.org/library/page/newsletter
The library of my youth did not have anything like today’s “Library of Things” where you can borrow such things as telescopes, tools and much more. The full list available at https://www.tillabook.org/library/page/library-things-complete-list
The author is a man who re-invigorated the downtown branch in Memphis, Tennessee. The problems there may have been a little more severe than most places. Still they mirror the problems of libraries across the nation. It’s a well-written book of 186 pages divided into 6 chapters.
A bonus feature is a short foreword “To Garden Our Democracy” written by Eric Liu.
The big idea this book left me with is that the librarians cannot do it all. A healthy library needs the support and participation of its patrons. For the good of the community, good citizens need to support their library in every way they can. Enjoy the library, volunteer if you can, and next time the levy comes around, vote for it.
The library enriches the whole county.
This doesn’t feel right without an excerpt, here’s one from Page 169.
“Sign up for a library card. And use it.
Be an advocate for your library by writing letters of support to your local elected officials.
Vote for candidates who support libraries.
Organize events at your local branch: a concert, a book club, a community dialogue, or whatever excites you.
Volunteer for an upcoming event.
Join your Friends of the Library group.
Take the things that I’ve shared in this book and spread the word about the value of the library to neighbors, friends, and decision makers.
Libraries inspire, empower and transform not only the people who use them but also the communities in which they are situated. Public libraries are not an artifact of the past. They are essential to the future.”
Available at Cloud and Leaf Bookstore, Manzanita and Tillamook County Library 186 pages, Published Oct. 8, 2024
As always, discussion is welcome at codger817@gmail.com
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