I've always enjoyed Patricia Storms's blog called Booklust - a nice break from the usual techie stuff I peruse. I like this simple post with a quote from Muriella Pent
As one of those people who frequently praises libraries as one of the (if not the) last bastions of free and open community/civil discourse, I found this one made me pause. I haven't thought about a library as a place of solitude and quiet for awhile - it has been a living, breathing, vibrant place with levels of noise for me more often than not. While this post reminded me that quiet reflection is a core function of every library, it is also but one of a number of foundations - community centre is another. It also reminded me of the role of the church in providing sanctuary to families facing deportation, a generally well accepted role for the church, unfortunately one not always respected. While I don't think libraries could or should become sanctuaries, it did make me realize that the role of the library as a community place and centre of civic discourse needs to become more enshrined in our actions and policies, as well as the public perception. With the ever-diminishing role of mass media in reporting an unbiased view of events, it is even more important for libraries to be champions for free speech and the open and unfettered discussion of issue that matter, whether as a physical or virtual place.
Like my home, a Library serves multiple purposes at different times of the day/week/year and without that multi-functional purpose, it wouldn't be a home. Or a library.
Scraped from Booklust
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