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In the last few years, ALA’s Annual Conference has pulled together
an Auditorium Series featuring authors and high-profile individuals who
share their thoughts on the importance of libraries in their lives. This
year’s series was particularly impressive, with Robert F. Kennedy,
Marian Wright Edelman, Dame Julie Andrews, Garrison Keillor, Ken
Burns, Judy Blume, and others who invigorated and challenged audiences
with their stories.
One theme heard in this year’s series spoke
of the "library as sanctuary." Adults in their daily lives
are challenged to find respite from outside interruptions; children
need safety and a haven for self-exploration. Marian Wright Edelman
implored librarians to reach out to children by making libraries
a safe-haven and a welcoming place for them. Garrison Keillor mentioned
that even though he likes his wireless computer, he unplugs it
and heads to the nearest library when he really needs to do his
most complex thinking. He asked libraries to remember that some people
need a 'quiet space' where they can reflect.
Several of the authors mentioned the importance
of the library to them as children and how this later influenced their
choice to become an author. Patricia Cornwell said her life would be "completely different if
it hadn't been for librarians who introduced me to books and research,
long before all of this technology. Llibrarians are the unsung heroes,” not
the Internet. Judy Blume readily shed tears when recounting the importance
of libraries to her childhood.
Other speakers spoke about the importance of libraries
as cultural repositories. Ken Burns relies on the stories found in local
library archives to help him hear the voices of regular Americans who contribute
to our common heritage. Patricia Cornwell said her research of Jack the
Ripper would have been impossible had it not been for librarians and archivists
who kept safe the original letters from the infamous killer.
The Auditorium Speaker series binds the library community together with
its common theme of library appreciation and expressions of how libraries
continue to be important to those not in the library profession. This year's
stellar lineup was impressive, and we anticipate even more in upcoming
conferences.
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