There must be a national recognition week or month for every group known to civilized man. This week is no different for it is National Library Week. It was started in 1958 when TV seemed to be overtaking reading as a regular pastime. It at least leads to a temporary awareness.
I want in no way to make light of the importance of a local library. Libraries are another piece of our fabric, vital in deepening and enriching our communities. This particular community hangout also undergirds and sustains our very society.
It is a democratic form of access to our world’s collective wisdom. That itself is priceless.
But it is so much more than that. Sometimes we forget or maybe we are just uninformed about the multifaceted role a library plays in our community. The local library may be the asset most taken for granted in any community. I know I am guilty.
I don’t really use the library but I can’t imagine not having it. It is more of a security blanket to me, but for so many it is a fundamental source of opportunity. When I was there last it was for research in the archives, but I was struck by the amount of activity surrounding the computers and the children’s section.
There are summer reading programs; there are children’s plays. There are readings by local authors. Organizations can and do use the library for their meetings.
It serves as a place to get out of the weather, a quiet place to reflect and a place to be inside when your options are limited. Those with few resources have the library as a sanctuary option.
I recently saw a remark about a library as a place of community trust. That idea was such a hopeful one I couldn’t help thinking about the implications of that statement. It is where we allow people to check out books and now Kindles (electronic reading devices) and trust they will return them.
Libraries are a social compact that has worked since the early 1700s.
When I consider what life would be like without access to books, I think of despair, desolation and anarchy. I can’t imagine how we would sustain our liberty without readily available sources of ideas and information and history.
I grew up reading books. Another one of the many debts I owe my parents, both were voracious readers. My father read rags-to-riches Horatio Alger stories and Zane Grey westerns. My mother and I read Shakespeare together. Though I read the Nancy Drew mysteries, my imagination was fired by Zane Grey, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and John Carter’s science fiction and westerns.
There is no question they inspired and formed many hopes and dreams for my family. If it is true for me, it is true for others. A la Shakespeare, it is an outcome devoutly to be wished.
There is nothing quite as comforting as having a book in hand. I rarely go anywhere without some kind of reading material at the ready. If my doctor appointment gets delayed or my meeting is postponed or I have a quiet lunch somewhere by myself, I am content.
The City of Starkville last year budgeted $175,400 to the library. It is a commitment that mirrors paying taxes for a school. Even if you don’t use it, it confers benefit to your community.
In discussing library use with others, I learned something wonderful. There is what is known as the “Little Free Library” movement. It was started in 2009 in Wisconsin by the son of a teacher who built one as a tribute to his mother’s passion for reading.
They are small birdhouse type boxes containing donated books. They are placed in various gathering places like parks and neighborhoods. It is another social compact for sharing wisdom and imagination and hope on a neighborhood scale.
Have I mentioned I love social media? I tweeted a question about a Little Free Library and immediately got a response from two Starkvillians who knew where two were located. One is on Josey Avenue and the other, Windsor Drive.
Soon one will be located at 1016 Louisville Street and with a good response, we will grow from there.
Lynn Spruill, a former commercial airline pilot, elected official and city administrator owns and manages Spruill Property Management in Starkville. Her email address is [email protected].
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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