We Love Our Library

 

We love our library.

And the library loves its patrons. All of them.

What more could you ask for from a public library?

Filled with books. Filled with activities for children and adults. Filled with love.

Knitting and crochet groups. Storytime and crafts for children, including visits from firefighters and Smokey the Bear. A plethora of book clubs for all tastes and interests. Community services include learning how to use computers and nutrition information. Fun things like Cooking with Andy and Yoga.

And it's all free. Open to every member of the community.

The library is committed to the free flow of information, to research, to the discovery of knowledge, and to the joy of reading and imagination.

The library is divided into sections catering to different age groups - children, teenagers, and adults. Parents have the full right to determine what their children check out to read and what groups or activities they can participate in.  

I pray that our PUBLIC library stays open to all, regardless of religion or creed, race or ethnic group, sexual orientation or gender identification.

We should be proud of the Okefenokee Regional Library Director's work to make us one of the very best library systems in Georgia. She has fought hard to keep the library open, filled with love, and servicing the entire community.

The recent resignation of ORLS Director Martha Power-Jones will leave a gaping hole in the spirit of the library. I don't know all the details of what happened, but I know her well enough to know she will be sorely missed.

There are forces in the community that want to make the library exclude and marginalize some patrons. They wish to eliminate displays, books, and book clubs, and curtail bathroom access for some. They cloak their hatred and bigotry in words like "neutrality" and "protecting the children," Orwellian phrases that mean the opposite of what they're saying.

It's not going to be easy. But, I believe, like Anne Frank, that people are ultimately good at heart. That in the long run, love is stronger than hate.

But that might take some time. The strain of repression and ignorance runs strong in this country; sadly, that's especially true in this area.

If you support the library, believe in openness and oppose book bans, and love all of mankind, including marginalized groups, now is the time to speak up. This library (all the branches in the system, including Waycross and Pierce) that loves its patrons needs you to show your love in return.

Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines and hope everything turns out right.  Now is the time to speak up and show your support.