It’s Memorial Day weekend as I sit down to write this letter, and for many of us, the unofficial start to Summer. More importantly, of course, it’s the day when we take some time to remember those Americans who served, fought, and died for this country, and for those freedoms that mean so much to us. Thank you to all of those who served, and their families, for the sacrifices they have made.
One of the most important freedoms that they fought for is the freedom of speech; our right to say what we believe, and to have access to what others have to say about their beliefs. We seem to be in one of those periods in our history when some of us, on both sides of the political fence, want to ban various forms of speech, and our libraries are right in the middle of that discussion. Libraries are the one place in our culture where, for no charge, we can go and learn about ourselves, our neighbors, and all the widely varied beliefs that some of us hold. It’s important that the widest possible range of those beliefs can be represented in, and available from the library, not just the ones that we happen to believe in. Please support your libraries in remaining spaces that are open to all viewpoints.
-Bruce Cotter, Executive Director
