National Library Week

Guess what! This week is National Library Week and it is a time to celebrate your library!

At the library, people of all backgrounds can come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get a job or to find homework help, to gain access to adult and youth education programs, and to READ! Public, academic, school and special libraries transform their communities and play a vital role in supporting the community's quality of life. Librarians help people of all ages and backgrounds find and interpret the information they need to live, learn and work in the 21st century. Libraries are places for opportunity, education, self-help and lifelong learning. Today, libraries bring you a world of knowledge both in person and online.

I don't know about you, but growing up, my mom and dad encouraged us to be avid users of the public library. We would check out books upon books and enjoy them for weeks on end. I can't wait to show my children the wonders that the library will expose them to, but there are so many more things your library offers besides children's books and storytime. Take a trip to your local library and see what programming they offer for adults, and you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Special guest speakers, art galleries, discussion groups, cultural events, and other educational opportunities thrive at public libraries that are alive in their communities. (If your library isn't flourishing, it might be because they are lacking the funding they need to create growing opportunities for the community, so get out there and vote in their favor during your next local election!)

I encourage you to visit the library this week - and every week - to take advantage of the wonderful library resources available and thank your librarians and library workers for making information accessible to all who walk through the library’s doors.

"There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration."

~Andrew Carnegie