Celebrating America and one of the things that makes her great
Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and to celebrate, here are some quotes about one of the things that makes America great – her public libraries.
“The public library has been historically a vital instrument of democracy and opportunity in the United States…. Our history has been greatly shaped by people who read their way to opportunity and achievements in public libraries.” – Arthur Meier Schlesinger
“A democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry.” – Thomas Jefferson
“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” – John F. Kennedy
“My mother and my father were illiterate immigrants from Russia. When I was a child they were constantly amazed that I could go to a building and take a book on any subject. They couldn’t believe this access to knowledge we have here in America. They couldn’t believe that it was free.” – Kirk Douglas
“I received the fundamentals of my education in school, but that was not enough. My real education, the superstructure, the details, the true architecture, I got out of the public library. For an impoverished child whose family could not afford to buy books, the library was the open door to wonder and achievement, and I can never be sufficiently grateful that I had the wit to charge through that door and make the most of it. Now, when I read constantly about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that the door is closing and that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.” – Isaac Asimov, in his book I, Asimov
Posted by Lisa, a second floor librarian
PS. You’ll find these quotations and more library-related quotations here.
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