I relocated this year to Springfield from the Bellevue-Kirkland area of Washington. In Bellevue, I found a second home at the Bellevue Library, the main unit of the 50-library system of King County Library Systems. I worked there for 12 years as a library page, shelving books, finding books and keeping the building neat and clean.
King County Library Systems is one of the nation’s largest library systems with approximately 20 million book checkouts a year, and having worked in 28 of their locations, I learned much about the importance of libraries in big and small communities.
Libraries like Springfield’s are critical to maintaining our democratic heritage. They’re places open for all to be welcomed in as equal. They’re places of belonging, places to find help in navigating the internet, to find free Wi-Fi, computers and printers to use, and importantly to find ample resources for children of all ages with reading programs and events for pre-kindergarten to high school students in support of our school district curriculums…