« Service, Service, Service | Main | RI library advocates go to Washington »
Building Burrillville
By howard | April 30, 2008
Few circumstances are so conducive to humility as sharing the podium with Senator Jack Reed. Yet, there I was last Sunday, April 27, 2008 under a tent in front of over 100 Burrillvilleans and friends celebrating the Grand Opening of the new Jesse M. Smith Library sitting next to the Senator awaiting my turn to speak. Also at the top of the tent were Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Nancy Binns, Burrillville Council president. The speechifying itself was a treat. Every speaker made it clear that he or she “got it;” i.e., understands the library’s importance. All spoke of the library as a place, as a collection, as a gateway to the online world, as a staff of helpful guides. The Congressman was full of fire for the library’s role as bastion of democracy. Nancy Binns alluded to a number of illustrative tales proclaiming the library’s role in the lives of people of all ages and stations.
David Ketcham, Chair of the building committee and the day’s MC told us that the most used word in the visitor sign-in book since the library’s “soft opening” at the beginning of the month was “awesome.” Upon that basis, he suggested the library’s name be changed to the “Awesome Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library.”
That provided the Senator with a segue to his invocation of the significance of the role of librarians in lthe library, counter-proposing as a new name the “Sandra Mundy Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library” to honor the incredible efforts of the library director.
I thanked Burrillville on behalf of Rhode Islanders everywhere, noting that every LORI library was an asset to all.
We often hear that a chain is no stronger than its weakest link but are rarely challenged to consider the obverse: that a chain can grow no stronger than it strongest links. RI libraries are all linked by LORI; linked as places; linked as collections; linked as skilled staff who can guide the members of their discrete communities, who are all members of our aggregate community to each other. We are more of a web than a chain, but the principle is the same. OLIS is proud to have had a part in creating the opportunity for Burrillville’s library service to grow stronger.
Burrillville, thank you and congratulations!
LORI is stronger, too.
Topics: General | No Comments »