It's National Library Week, a time of year when we ask you to be happy you have a public library. There has been a lot of bad news for libraries around the country in the last two years. Libraries are often the first casualities of a bad economy, and the economy has been on the skids for two years now. When I read news stories about libraries cutting staff, cutting hours, cutting materials budgets, and closing branches, I am grateful we have so far escaped any of those fates. It's a sad truth that as people turn to libraries more than ever--whether for help with job searches, free programs for entertainment and education, or free materials for reading, listening, and watching--libraries in many parts of the country are less available and have less to offer than they once did.
But that's not true in Everett, and I am happy to be able to say that our libraries and our staff are providing more service to more people than ever. And we're doing it with the same budget we had last year. We're offering more computer classes, individual computer assistance, and soon, more public Internet computers. Our materials collection is robust,and we're launching our second Big Read project with Sno-Isle Libraries. Baby storytimes are thriving, circulation continues to grow.
I never expected to be quoting Rolling Stone Keith Richards, but I came across this on a list serv, and thought it was appropriate this week, and really, every week.
When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.” Keith Richards
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