According to poet Robert Frost, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”
For many of us, the library is the home that welcomes us, no matter who we are and where we’re from.
That spirit was certainly in the air last week on Candidates’ Night, when citizens from every walk of life in our community flocked to the Calloway County Public Library to meet the candidates for Circuit Court Judge in a friendly, open setting.
Prominently displayed on the central wall of the meeting room were some compelling library statistics: book circulation of 170,063; total number of program attendees of 8731; total number of library programs offered was an astounding 296. Public internet use was an impressive 20,052, topped only by audio downloads of books totaling 28,293.
Always interested in feedback from library visitors, staff invited attendees to put pencil to paper and complete this statement: I love the library because…
Responses were posted in one corner of the meeting room, and many crowded around the display to see what others had written. Here is a sample of sentiments:
“If you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need in life.”
“I love the library because it serves so many groups with experiences they cannot get anywhere else in the community.”
“I love the library because it enables me to be a lifelong learner.”
The comments went from the practical to the sublime. Some lauded the library for its access to information and the variety of databases available, while others mentioned the impact of the library on children, who “come in and are so excited to check out books.”
In his brief remarks to the assemblage for Candidates Night, Representative Kenneth Imes remembered his boyhood days when the bookmobile came to Almo where he grew up. He recalled reading every Hardy Boy book he could get his hands on, and commented that people do not realize the wealth of information and enjoyment the library offers.
Judge Randy Hutchens, Circuit Court Judge candidate, revealed that he took out seven to ten books at a time when he was a youngster in Lynn Grove. “I was a heavy reader,” he admitted, “but I’m here today because of the opportunities I received from the library…Reading helps your brain grow,” he declared.
Recently on the Murray State University campus, through a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Waterfield Library has been hosting an interactive display that welcomes anonymous, written comments about gender equality. Responses are compiled each day and posted on the wall so patrons can appreciate the range of insights and outlooks on the subject.
Recent postings address a range of issues and challenges:
“Being a gay man in a small town in 2015 means representing a community that has to constantly work to get change in their city.”
“Being a pansexual in the world means always having to explain that I’m not interested in cookware.”
“Being a Mexican bisexual in Kentucky means I will never see myself or someone like me in the media.”
“Being a college student in Morehead means you get to deal with the Kim Davis drama.”
As election day nears and the political arena heats up in anticipation of a presidential election next year, libraries may be the best places in any town to engage citizens in discussion and analysis of the issues that divide us, as well as those that bring us together.
Libraries provide an array of opportunities to learn, listen and reflect. Just like home, they welcome all, and accept that we may agree to disagree.
In the end, through open dialogue, we may even discover the common ground that brings us together.
Constance Alexander is a faculty scholar in the Teacher Quality Institute at Murray State University. She is a freelance writer who writes a regular column for her local newspaper and for the NKyTribune. She lives in Murray. Contact the her directly at constancealexander@twc.com.