For me, 2021 was marked by reading. A lot of reading. I read classics, I read detective, I read NYT Best Sellers, I read non-fiction. I read print and on my iPhone. I fell in love with audio books. And most of what I read was borrowed from the library.
At the beginning of the year, I set an arbitrary Goodreads goal of 65 books and surpassed that number months ago. Yet I kept going and am now closing in on 100. A personal best. But for me, the record signifies more than bragging rights on Goodreads.
Let me explain.
I read widely because I can. That is not the case everywhere in the world. Books can be banned, press freedoms restricted, internet limited, if available at all. Disinformation is rampant and difficult, if not impossible, to check. Censorship is not a new thing nor are attempts to ban and burn books. Serious threats are raging just a few miles down the road from where we live in Arlington.
When America’s Founding Fathers were drafting the rules for a new government, they did not get everything right. What they did get right was understanding the value of free access to information. All information — not just information officially sanctioned or promulgated by self-appointed arbiters. And they backed up their belief with actions: Benjamin Franklin established the first lending library in Philadelphia and Thomas Jefferson’s gift of his personal library created the Library of Congress.
The shelves of Arlington Public Library are filled with books someone, sometime, is bound to find upsetting, ugly, false. And that’s by design. We purposefully build our collection to be both broad and deep. Whether one is looking to be entertained, informed, comforted — it’s all here and all free.
One of the most rewarding and most challenging responsibilities of a public librarian is our ethical obligation to provide access to materials that cover a wide range of viewpoints and opinions, even those with which we do not personally agree. We do not know the specific reasons why members of our community might choose to read a book, nor do we question their right to do so. Some might want to read a book because they agree with its perspective. Others might want to read it because they disagree. They might read it to gain a better understanding of one viewpoint in a national dialogue. In every case, we defend their right to read it.
We are thankful Arlington Public Library patrons have made us part of their reading journeys. And we appreciate their working with us to keep our collection diverse, welcoming of many viewpoints, and, yes, occasionally discomfiting. Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison, whose “Beloved” was the subject of a recent local school controversy, had some things to say about banned books and censorship. This quote has stuck with me.
“The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages flourishing underground, essayists' questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, cancelled films — that thought is a nightmare. As though a whole universe is being described in invisible ink. Certain kinds of trauma visited on peoples are so deep, so cruel, that unlike money, unlike vengeance, even unlike justice, or rights, or the goodwill of others, only writers can translate such trauma and turn sorrow into meaning, sharpening the moral imagination.”
Stay safe, stay hopeful. And keep reading.
Diane Kresh, Director, Arlington Public Library
Thank you for this reminder of the value of access to books and ideas.
Many thanks for the kind words, Peter .
All best to you and yours in the new year.
Diane
Many thanks for your kind words.
All best in the new year.
Diane
Thank you for leading one of the best library systems in the country!
Many thanks for the kind words and all the best to you and yours in 2022.
Diane
Will you share your list of books and audio tapes that you’ve read from the library over the last 2 years? We love the library. Thank you!
Hi Gladys:
Thank you for your interest. If you click on the blue hyperlink for Goodreads near the top of the post, you’ll be able to see my whole list.
For last year’s list, please go here https://library.arlingtonva.us/2020/12/04/the-library-directors-2020-book-list-continued/
Happy reading.
Diane
Thank you for the profound words, and for the efforts of the Arlington library team to be such a positive voice and place in our community.
Speaking of Goodreads, I’ve recently started using it to keep track of books I’m interested in. Is there any way to easily see if those books are available at the library, or synchronize lists somehow?
Thank you, Diane, for your thoughtful words on why we read and the importance of free libraries. I wish you a merry Christmas and blessings in the New Year. Barbara Scholtz
Many thanks, Barbara. Thank you for your kind words and for your support of Arlington Public Library.
All my best to you and yours in the new year.
Diane
Many thanks for the kind words, Barbara and thank you for your support of Arlington Public Library.
All best to you and yours in the new year.
Diane
“Profound”. Do I need to say more?
Many thanks, Avinash.
Thank you for your support of Arlington Public Library and all best to you and yours in 2022.
Diane
Much to applaud here, thank you. Perhaps a follow-up post could articulate what specifically the Founders got wrong and how “disinformation” is defined.
Thank you, John. More than happy to post in the future about these two issues. Thank you for your interest. .
All best in the new year.
Diane
Well said – thank you for your thoughtful message! And thank you for all you and your team does to support the Arlington Public Library system and drive forward new initiatives that support reading and strengthen our community, especially in these challenging times. Much appreciated!
Many thanks, Erin for your kind words and for your support of Arlington Public Library.
All best to you and yours in the new year.
Diane
Amen, Diane. It has always struck me that in the era of our founders, the medium of public discourse, which could be a rough and hostile, cutting and visceral , was the press — newspapers and pamphlets. And what did they choose to protect? Freedom of the press! End of argument.
Many thanks, Marnie for your comments.
We appreciate your support of Arlington Public Library and wish the best for you and yours in 2022.
Diane
Well, of course, the Arlington County libraries are absolutely essential, to me, to our community.
If I have a complaint, it is simply that it is virtually impossible to “luck out” and be reasonably high on
a waiting list. (The good message is that Arlington is a county of readers!) An alternative, if
one wants to read a popular author, is to forego the best selling book, and check out one of his or her
previous works.) I recently did that with Coulson Whitehead.
Many thanks, Winifred.
Thank you for your support of Arlington Public Library and all best to you and yours in 2022.
Diane
As a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1980s, a side project I had was building and populating a lending library in the little tiny town I lived in located in the Northern Philippines. That library was a hit and brought so much joy. Thanks for the reminder that we shouldn’t take for granted our access to information and literature. Cheers. Jim
Many thanks for sharing your story, Jim. A great example of the joy reading can bring.
We appreciate your support of Arlington Public Library and wish the best to you and yours in 2022.
Diane
Grateful that we live in a community that values the free exchange of ideas. Grateful for all the dedication, creativity, and hard work to keep our libraries available to us. Grateful for you Diane. Your leadership is an inspiration.
Many thanks for your kind words, Inta.
We appreciate your support of Arlington Public Library and wish you and yours all the best in 2022.
Diane
Thank you and kudos, Diane Kresh. The library was one of the first public places desegregated in Arlington (and in Virginia). When I was a child, my civil activist Mother brought me back and forth to the Columbia Pike library and other library events at the DC Armory in Washington, DC. The library and my Catholic school education helped me learn at a very young age in the 50s that the world was open to new possibilities for a Black child and adults, too. Keep the culture connection alive…building community that all are equal.
Many thanks for the kind words, Cecilia. We try our best to ensure all are welcome in our Library.
All best to you and yours in the new year.
Diane
Wow! Very well written. Thank you , Diane Kresch, for sharing your thoughts and insight. The banning and burning of books is a terrible thing. The thought of this possibly happening in today’s world fills me with dread. I’m so glad people like yourself do what you do.
Many thanks for your comments, Gloria and for your support of Arlington Public Library.
All best to you and yours in 2022.
Diane
You and your staff did an excellent job maintaining basic operations over the past 2 years in trying circumstances. Thank you!
Many thanks, Pat for the kind words. I will pass along your good wishes to the staff.
All best to you and yours in 2022.
Diane
Thank you, Diane, for this short and thoughtful year-end message. Yesterday I enjoyed going through the “New Books” list that APL had sent out by e-mail, and finding several to place holds on. It was also so encouraging to see a wide range of authors and subjects from across the political, social, cultural, intellectual spectrum. Thanks to you and all the APL staff for your commitment to a diversity of viewpoints….and to stocking so many interesting books!
Many thanks for the comments, Peter. I’m glad you found good things to place on HOLD. Our selection team, works hard to ensure depth and variety.
All best to you and yours in 2022 and keep reading.
Diane
Irresistible! Thank you so much for this kind and good service.your services is better than better.