LETTER OF THE WEEK

April 1-7 is National Library Week.

If it has been a while since you spent time in a library, you would be

pleasantly surprised by how libraries have embraced the latest

technological advances. If you are a regular at your library, you know

they have also maintained the traditional services and programs that have

made them a most cherished American institution.

Today’s libraries are not the quiet places they once were. They are

dynamic and energetic centers where the whole community comes together.

Libraries provide children with their first exposure to books, and

libraries excite them with wonderful programs to stimulate their reading

appetites. Libraries help teach parents how to safely navigate the

Internet as well as read with their children.

Libraries provide community business owners with information on how to

turn a profit. They help doctors and scientists research the latest

medical findings. Libraries provide government officials, as well as

homemakers and hobbyists, with information to help them perform their

jobs. And libraries provide students of all ages with the skills

necessary to find, use and evaluate information.

As our world has changed, librarians have assured that our libraries

are up to date and viable for people of all ages, incomes and

backgrounds. Today’s librarians are leaders, with expertise in assisting

people to locate exactly what they need amid the vast and often

overwhelming amount of information now available in print or online.

Where else can you find friendly, helpful advice and guidance with no

strings attached? Librarians serve to sustain libraries as vital

resources in our society.

National Library Week is a good time to acknowledge the fine work our

librarians do all year. I urge you to take a moment to thank them when

you visit your library. If you have not been for a while, it is a great

time to see what is new.

RUTH MAY SIEGRIST

Chair, board of trustees

Huntington Beach Public Library