More Than Just Books :
Celebrating National Library Week by Crystal Han . Photos by gmhTODAY
Read a thousand books , and your words will flow like a river . - Lisa See
You ’ ve likely heard the saying “ Don ’ t judge a book by its cover ,” but you probably wouldn ’ t expect that to apply to a library . On the outside , libraries are the places you go to check out books and not much else . Take a closer look and you ’ ll find that “ there ’ s more to the story ,” which is this year ’ s theme for National Library Week .
These days there aren ’ t many public spaces that are truly open to everyone . Most places , like malls , coffee shops , and clubs , expect you to purchase something or pay a membership fee in order to spend time there . This is why librarians like Heather Geddes of the Steve Tate Community Library in Morgan Hill thinks libraries are so vital . “ Libraries are sort of the great equalizer in that we welcome everyone ,” she said , “ We provide access to free resources to all of our community members and we tailor what we do to what we see in our community . So we create a space that everyone has access to enjoy .”
Whether you ’ re a student or freelancer looking for a quiet workspace , an immigrant working on language skills , or homeless and in need of a computer and internet , anyone can benefit from what the library has to offer .
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