When is a town too small to support a library? Apparently, never--at least when the town is Monowi, Nebraska, population 1 (yes, 1).
The one remaining resident of Monowi, Elsie Eiler, 71, runs the tavern, the only business left in town. But when her husband, a voracious reader, died, he requested that his personal library become the town's public library. Elsie and her children fulfilled this request. The library building has floor-to-ceiling shelves, a plywood floor, and no heat -- but it also has a collection of 5,000 books. There is no catalog, no system for shelving the books, no way to find the book you want to read other than assiduous browsing and serendipity. Circulation happens on the honor system. But the essential spirit of the public library is present in spades: the books are there for the use, pleasure, and education of all of the area's residents.
It's nice to be reminded in this age of everything digital that the basics still matter. Even without spending many thousands or millions of dollars on whizbang digital tools and online content, a collection of books, shared freely, is still a benefit to the community. This is something I hope we never lose sight of as we continue to pursue the bleeding edge of technology. The heart of what really matters -- and the reason that libraries matter -- is the dedication to access for all, intellectual freedom, and self-education.
Posted by Stacie at March 5, 2005 10:18 AM