~ Libraries: Cathedral of Our Souls / Caitlin Moran
Monday, January 21, 2013
A Library Is...
"A library in the middle of a community is a cross
between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of
the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination. On a cold,
rainy island, they are the only sheltered public spaces where you are not a
consumer, but a citizen, instead. A human with a brain and a heart and a desire
to be uplifted, rather than a customer with a credit card and an inchoate
"need" for "stuff." A mall--the shops--are places where
your money makes the wealthy wealthier. But a library is where the wealthy's
taxes pay for you to become a little more extraordinary, instead. A satisfying
reversal. A balancing of the power."
