“A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.” – Harry Ward Beecher
I’ve covered the buildings and content of libraries so today I’m writing about accessibility because I think we tend to take our well-lit, air-conditioned and heated libraries or the large mobile buses that might service some of the more remote areas of America for granted. In Kenya, a camel may be your library source or a donkey in Ethiopia, or perhaps, a boat in Indonesia. In Peru, more that 700 libraries are located in farmers’ homes. In Santiago, Chile, small libraries are located in eight different metro stations and in two train cars were converted to libraries and placed in two of their busiest parks. The point is, regardless of the size and scope, it is obvious that libraries are one of the necessities of life worldwide.
If I were to do a tour, I’d want to include a few of the quaint and remote libraries. And, if I hit the lottery or make it to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List, I’d consider starting my tour by spending a night or two at the Library Hotel in New York, where each of the 10 floors is dedicated to a reading category and rooms have a collection of books relating to their theme.
For the time being, however, I’ll be content to tour the previously mentioned sites or Library Servers via www while sitting in front of my computer. The Library Servers site lists over 7900 pages from libraries in 146 countries.
Libraries have been my theme this week because of the upcoming Southwest Florida Reading Festival on March 21, in Fort Myers. This festival is now celebrating its tenth year thanks to the Lee Country Library and their sponsors. The event has something for everyone including a storytelling tent, children’s crafts and activities, a teen zone, author presentations and book signings. I’m hoping for large crowds because it makes me happy to watch people enjoying book related events. If one or two folks wander by and decide to purchase, The Ride, I’ll be even happier.
Thanks for stopping by.
Tags: Beecher, libraries, Kenya, Ethiopia, Library Hotel, Reading Festival, Lee County Library, The Ride,
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2 comments:
A particularly interesting post. A good reminder of the luxuries we have here in the west with nice new AC conditioned libraries conveniently located almost everywhere. Although I must say the idea of taking a camel ride to a library in Kenya is now on my "must do" before dying list. (smile)
Hope you have a great time at the SW Florida Reading Festival! I volunteer for the TX Book Festival and it's always a huge event with lots of great authors.
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