The Library Revival

I love the story of the University President who was talking to a graduating class about their imminent bright futures in the world they would be entering.  The President said, "We here at Herringbone [my own made-up name:-)], like to see our University as a storehouse of knowledge.  The reason for this is because students bring so much knowledge in with them when they first arrive, and by the time they graduate, they take so little knowledge out."

The storehouses of knowledge through the centuries have often been called - Libraries.  Europeans often still call libraries by their original Greek name - Bibliotek.  A Greek "Bibliotheca" was simple a "book case".  The greatest libraries in history were in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), and Alexandria (in Egypt).  The picture above is of the famous Trinity College Library in Dublin - one of my favorites!

With the rise of online search engine websites, many of the greatest libraries in the world, including the vaunted Library of Congress, have gone - online.  I am in the final stages of writing my Doctoral Dissertation and I am amazed to say that most of the research that I have done for my paper has been done online.  My father-in-law, a law professor, who is now in the process of writing his seventh major academic work, has told me that he can do all the research he needs for a book in his living room in Tucson, Arizona.  The world is changing fast!

And yet, there is still a lot to be said for more traditional libraries themselves.  For me, there is nothing like the smell of paper, and sometimes leather, and the dust of years, and the joy of dog-earing a page to know where you left off, and visiting a library.

Many libraries in recent years have been experimenting with new ways to get books into people's hands.  The public library near my house has book stalls on the corners of the street where you can check out a book by taking one out, filling out a card, and when you are done reading it, returning it to the same little blue and yellow stall

Most Presbyterian Churches also have libraries as well.  The church that I am serving in Burlingame has a remarkable library of very relevant and important books.  Our incredible church librarian, Anita Kvam, works long and hard hours to try to make sure that the most relevant and important books are available to members of the church.

Starting this week, First Pres. Burlingame will be offering a new service related to our library.  Often times after I preach a sermon, people will come up to me during the Fellowship Time and ask me if there is a book that I could recommend for further reading on the topic that I had just preached on. Starting this week, the answer to this will not only be - "Yes" - but also, "just go to the library cart and find a book that has been collected that is related to the Sunday message."  Anita will be receiving a manuscript of my message each week on Thursday, and finding books for people to dive into that want further study in that particular subject area.

Ultimately, our goal will be to not only have a great library, but to get that great library into people's hands for assistance and renewal.  And perhaps then, libraries will not only become storehouses where people bring knowledge in, but also places where they can take it out!

All For Now,

GB