The economic news is dismal. We seem to have avoided defaulting on the nation's debt, but the stock market is anything but confident. All the indicators show we are in for a long, slow recovery. What keeps me sane in this crazy time? Libraries. I know that sounds naive, but libraries are a bright light in a very dark tunnel. The shear fact that we have publicly funded libraries is a unique statement about our American values. We believe that everyone in a democracy has a right to information. And we put our tax dollars to work in a place that offers information that is not tied to commercial or political interests. The library. The library offers a wide range of information that helps you understand your world. We provide books, magazines, and Internet access that is available to everyone regardless of economic status. Libraries are part and parcel of that level playing field people always talk about.
I love working in a library. Not only do I help continue the long tradition started by Benjamin Franklin for public libraries, but I get to spend my days figuring out how to offer the best service possible to our customers. Public libraries began, in many ways, as the people's university. Thousands of immigrants flocked to public library reading rooms to learn how to become American citizens. Those immigrants went on to work hard in their new country and create a special American way of life. Today the public library is still the place where working moms and dads can bring their children to story time, select books, learn a craft, search for a job, improve their computer skills, and use library resources to improve their quality of life. That's a pretty good institution to be a part of and I'm proud of it everyday.
This past week at Dubuque County Library we were busy as bees. We upgraded our circulation system to keep up with the improvements provided by our vendor. It will look the same to our customers, but behind the scenes it will be a smoother process for library operations. We are receiving and processing new books, and selecting ones from our existing collection all in preparation for the opening of our new branch at NICC/Peosta in early September. We are also working on getting catalog terminals operational at all of the branches and fixing some software glitches and printing issues. Computers are great when they work. Please be patient as we try to bring everything up to snuff. Staff is also planning for a series of fall story times, special programs, and events. More on that soon.
Don't forget to attend the last in our multicultural series this Saturday. Members of our community will share the culture of India at 2:30 at the Asbury Eagles Club. They have lots of activities planned for the whole family.
The Holy Cross Library will be closed this Saturday so that we can participate in the parade and festivities. And all library locations will close at 4:30 on Thursday, August 18th so that staff can attend a new director reception hosted by the Friends of Dubuque County Library. The reception will be from 5:00-8:00 at Park Farm Winery.
And remember as a partner in the grand tradition of public libraries, the Dubuque County Library wants to provide quality library service that meets your needs. Let us know how we can help. Thanks for your support. Dawn
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