Quick Summary
There was no better place to honor this year’s Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year than at the Exploratorium on one of San Francisco’s piers overlooking the bay at sunset. As groups of brown pelicans flew in and ships made their way to port, a lively group of librar
There was no better place to honor this year’s Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year than at the Exploratorium on one of San Francisco’s piers overlooking the bay at sunset. As groups of brown pelicans flew in and ships made their way to port, a lively group of librarians, library directors, and Gale and Library Journal employees participated in honoring Library Director Scott Bonner and staff of the Ferguson Municipal Public Library in Ferguson, Missouri. Instead of closing library doors amidst community protests and riots, Bonner and staff not only kept the library doors open but also created and facilitated programming and support for community members in a time of crisis. When accepting the award, Bonner humbly stated that we just do what libraries do. He continued by adding that’s what libraries have always done and will continue to do – we step up when the community needs us. Check out LJ’s article to get the full scoop on Ferguson Municipal Public Library as Library of the Year 2015.
To me, a library is a community institution which serves that community through the materials accumulated and the activities sponsored. The aim of a library is to use all possible means to further the cultural, political, and economic progress of that community. It is an aggressive, progressive institution which, when need be, forces the attention of the community to existing problems. It is a democratic institution in that it presents all sides of a question. It is a friendly institution ready to serve that community with sympathy and understanding. A library could be the heart of a community, just as it could be the heart of a college, university, or high school. It could be the strongest single organization to unify, to stimulate, and to sponsor community activity. It could be, but will it be?
Eastlick, J. T. (1946). Future of a prewar librarian. Wilson Library Bulletin, 2162.
The Ferguson Municipal Public Library has answered J.T. Eastlick's nearly 70 year old question. Countless libraries before our time and those in the future will continue to answer this question. The future of libraries is anything but bleak. It is one of ever-growing strength and importance.
