Library Corner #3

Article

While Libraries are important sources of access to technology, that is only one aspect of our mission. Technology has the power to create myriad connections, but has also contributed to a world that often feels fast-paced, overstimulating and sometimes frantic. 

Libraries at their core are about connection. Sometimes, to make those connections, people need to “unplug”, to step away from the usual routine, to purposefully establish a quieter zone for undistracted action, interaction, or inaction. Nowhere is this better achieved than the reading room at the Harrison Memorial Library. A perfect example of this was the first Fireside Chat held at the Harrison Memorial Library in October. 

Dr. Andrew Drummond led attendees through a discussion on  “Navigating Democracy in the Era of Big Data and Deep Fakes”. It was a wonderful example of people connecting offline to share their knowledge, ideas, and feelings about a very important and complex topic. 

Which provides me, dear readers, with the perfect opportunity to invite you to set down your phone or tablet, stop by the library, and check-out a copy of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg. Come connect with us at our Book Club on December 11, 2019, 6:30 p.m. at the Harrison Memorial Library. – Ashlee Wright, Library and Community Activities Director

Librarian’s Pick:

I, Claudius by Robert Graves. A gift from my grandmother when I was in high school and book that I re-read yearly. With as much intrigue, scandal and drama as a daytime soap opera, emperor Claudius tells of his life during the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula and the events that led to his rise to power in a classic novel reconstructing ancient Rome.

From your Library Director, Ashlee Wright

(Originally published in the Carmel Pine Cone in November 2019)