U.S. public libraries: We lose them at our peril.

The following article was published by the Los Angeles Times on July 6, 2010.  Marilyn Johnson is the author of, most recently, "This Book is Overdue!"

Libraries are an essential service in action, as well as an effective leveler of privilege and avenue of reinvention. As budget cuts affect more facilities, children will be the first to suffer.

The U.S. is beginning an interesting experiment in democracy: We're cutting public library funds, shrinking our public and school libraries, and in some places, shutting them altogether.
These actions have nothing to do with whether the libraries are any good or whether the staff provides useful service to the community. This country's largest circulating library, in Queens, N.Y., was named the best system in the U.S. last year by Library Journal. Its budget is due to shrink by a third. Los Angeles libraries are being slashed, and beginning this week, the doors will be locked two days a week and at least 100 jobs cut. And until it got a six-month reprieve June 23, Siskiyou County almost became California's only county without a public library. Such cuts and close calls are happening across the country. We won't miss a third of our librarians and branch libraries the way we'd miss a third of our firefighters and firehouses, the rationale goes … but I wonder.
I've spent four years following librarians as they deal with the tremendous increase in information and the many ways we receive it. They've been adapting as capably as any profession, managing our public computers and serving growing numbers of patrons, but it seems that their work has been all but invisible to those in power. I've talked to librarians whose jobs have expanded with the demand for computers and training, and because so many other government services are being cut. The people left in the lurch have looked to the library, where kind, knowledgeable professionals help them navigate the government bureaucracy, apply for benefits, access social services. Public officials will tell you they love libraries and are committed to them; they just don't believe they constitute a "core" service.
But if you visit public libraries, you will see an essential service in action, as librarians help people who don't have other ways to get online, can't get the answers they urgently need, or simply need a safe place to bring their children. I've stood in the parking lot of the Topeka and Shawnee County Library in Kansas on a Sunday morning and watched families pour through doors and head in all directions to do homework or genealogical research, attend computer classes, read the newspapers. I've stood outside New York city libraries with other self-employed people, waiting for the doors to open and give us access to the computers and a warm and affordable place to work. I've met librarians who serve as interpreters and guides to communities of cancer survivors, Polish-speaking citizens, teenage filmmakers, veterans.
The people who welcome us to the library are idealists, who believe that accurate information leads to good decisions and that exposure to the intellectual riches of civilization leads to a better world. The next Abraham Lincoln could be sitting in their library, teaching himself all he needs to know to save the country. While they help us get online, employed and informed, librarians don't try to sell us anything. Nor do they turn around and broadcast our problems, send us spam or keep a record of our interests and needs, because no matter how savvy this profession is at navigating the online world, it clings to that old-fashioned value, privacy. (A profession dedicated to privacy in charge of our public computers? That's brilliant.) They represent the best civic value out there, an army of resourceful workers that can help us compete in the world.
But instead of putting such conscientious, economical and service-oriented professionals to work helping us, we're handing them pink slips. The school libraries and public libraries in which we've invested decades and even centuries of resources will disappear unless we fight for them. The communities that treasure and support their libraries will have an undeniable competitive advantage. Those that don't will watch in envy as the Darien Library in Connecticut hosts networking breakfasts for its out-of-work patrons, and the tiny Gilpin County Public Library in Colorado beckons patrons with a sign that promises "Free coffee, Internet, notary, phone, smiles, restrooms and ideas."
Those lucky enough to live in those towns, or those who own computers, or have high-speed Internet service and on-call technical assistance, will not notice the effects of a diminished public library system — not at first. Whizzes who can whittle down 15 million hits on a Google search to find the useful and accurate bits of info, and those able to buy any book or article or film they want, will escape the immediate consequences of these cuts.
Those in cities that haven't preserved their libraries, those less fortunate and baffled by technology, and our children will be the first to suffer. But sooner or later, we'll all feel the loss as one of the most effective levelers of privilege and avenues of reinvention — one of the great engines of democracy — begins to disappear.

by Marilyn Johnson, for the Los Angeles Times

In the Library by Charles Simic

There's a book called "A Dictionary of Angels."

No one has opened it in fifty years, I know,

because when I did,

The covers creaked, the pages

Crumbled. There I discovered
The angels were once as plentiful
As species of flies.
The sky at dusk
Used to be thick with them.
You had to wave both arms
Just to keep them away

Now the sun is shining
Through the tall windows.
The library is a quiet place.
Angels and gods huddled
In dark unopened books.
The great secret lies
On some shelf Miss Jones
Passes every day on her rounds.
She's very tall, so she keeps
Her head tipped as if listening.
The books are whispering.
I hear nothing, but she does.

Mockingjay: The last book in The Hunger Games trilogy to be released next month

The thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking "The Hunger Games" trilogy "Mockingjay" will be released on August 24.

Summary: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

"Mockingjay" promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year. It is already available to put holds on it. Don't be deterred by the high number of holds already on it, as the Somerset County Library System will be purchasing close to 50 copies of this book. Visit http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/ to access our online catalog and place your hold.

Heatwave!

A HEALTH warning has been issued by doctors urging people to take precautions as temperatures are set to remain high going into the weekend.

There are a number of ways to prevent overheating and protect yourself and others from heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Here are some recommendations to follow during the next few days:

*Schedule outdoor activities for early morning or early evening.
*Take regular breaks in shady areas or indoors so that your body's thermostat has a chance to recover.
*Avoid direct sunlight whenever possible. Always use sunscreen to reduce the heat your body absorbs and to limit moisture loss. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing and a wide-brimmed hat. People who work in the sun should take frequent breaks and not push themselves too hard.
*Drink plenty of fluids and don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. If you're doing heavy exercise in the heat, drink two to four glasses of cool fluids each hour. Even when you're swimming, you need to drink plenty of water.
*Don't eat a heavy or hot meal before going outside in hot weather. Doing so will heat your body faster.
*Avoid liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar -- they may cause you to lose more body fluids.
*During hot weather, monitor the condition of family, friends and co-workers, and have someone do the same for you. During a heat wave, relatives and friends should call elderly people twice a day to ask how they're doing.
*Call 911 immediately if you suspect that you or someone else has had a heat stroke, marked by a high body temperature, a rapid pulse, dizziness, confusion, fatigue, headache, seizure and/or hot, dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty.

And remember that if you don't have air conditioning at home the Warren library is the COOLEST place to be!

Children's programs at the library

On Friday, June 28, eighty-three kids, parents and caregivers celebrated Warren Township's summer kickoff with Pirate Mark and an afternoon of fun and magic. He amazed us with awesome illusions, Pedro the singing parrot, foam swords, and slinkys for everyone.

For more events for children during the summer visit our website www.somerset.lib.nj.us/warren.htm - Click on Children's Programs to view the calendar.

Schools' Summer Reading Lists

Visit the Warren Township Library to check out this year's Summer Reading Books for elementary, middle school and high school. The school librarians have come up with a great list of suggested summer reads for elementary and middle school students, including books by Mo Willems, Kate DiCamillo, Dan Gutman, Gordon Korman, Sharon Creech and more. Students at Watchung Hills Regional High School have required texts and should stop by the library to see what is available. A rundown of Summer Reading Lists can be found at the SCLS web site: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/sclsweb1/%20readerscornerkidsteensschoolbooklists.htm