In 1964, the Beach Boys released a song titled, “Fun, Fun, Fun”
which describes a young girl who used “going to the library” as an excuse to drive
her dad’s T-bird.
The
Beach Boys Fun, Fun, Fun With Lyrics - YouTube
The first public library in America was built somewhere
between 1711 and 1725, but the number of libraries in this country surged after
Andrew Carnegie started funding them. Between 1883 and 1929, 2,509 Carnegie
libraries were built.
In recent years, the number of new libraries has tapered off
considerably. The last new one that I am aware of is the new Chicago public
library, which opened in 1991. However, the George H.W. Bush library opened in
1997, the Clinton library opened in 2004, the George W. Bush library was opened
recently, and the Obama library will eventually be built in Jackson Park in
Chicago. Although Donald Trump has inspired countless people to write books
about him, it is unlikely that you will ever see a Trump library.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_libraries_in_North_America
Given the political polarization in America today, it’s not
likely that ANY new libraries could be built, even if the Build Back Better Act
finally gets passed.
According to the Washington Post, though, this is the Golden
Age of Libraries, and many of the libraries being built around the world are
simply stunning.
Although our personal library now has close to 1,000 books, we
are fortunate that a Pima County library exists roughly three miles from our
front door. Although I DO read many of the books we have on hand, I also often
stop at the library to see if any new books have come in.
As society has become more secular, a number of old churches
have been converted into libraries or bookstores. One of the most stunning is a
church in the Netherlands that has been converted into a library.
One of our relatives used to live in Spencer, Iowa, but she
was not much of a reader. Although she had heard that a local cat named Dewey
had made the library his home, she never stopped in to visit him. Even today,
long after he has passed, people still travel from all over the world to sign
his guestbook.
A library does not have to large or beautiful in order to have special significance. Two of our Minnesota friends worked at the small library shown below in the mid-1960’s. They became close friends – and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary a little more than a year ago, further proof that you can find genuine treasures at your local library.
Take a bus tour of Norway. Hell is a small village just south of Trondheim. Our tour guide was an elementary school teacher in Hell. Then visit Ireland again to see how the Viking heritage dominated Limerick, Dublin, and Waterford.
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