In our April newsletter, I shared one of our Strategic Plan goals relating to sustainability. Another important element of our current plan is devoted to the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. This focus is both timely and necessary. Public libraries have always strived to provide a welcoming space for everyone in the community, and to host a collection that reflects the needs and wants of residents.
We are a place of lifelong learning and believe that our presence in our communities serves to elevate all. A library should be a place where people can see themselves reflected, but also learn about others not like them. Our professional librarians thoughtfully purchase books and other resources that address a variety of issues and viewpoints, as well as serve different reading levels, interests and educational needs.
Some libraries have recently come under fire by individuals and special interest groups who object to certain materials being present in library collections. We believe that everyone has the right to choose for themselves and for their children what they would like to read, and that no one else should make decisions for them. In order to be truly inclusive and welcoming to all, we can do nothing less.
Free people read freely.
Margaret M. Conroy, Executive Director of the Daniel Boone Regional Library