| “… I love you madly, madly Madam Librarian…”
“Madam Librarian” a song in the Broadway musical “The Music Man”
Who decided we have to be so divided?
Divided over everything. All the time. Without flexibility, understanding or resolution.
Related to that, I’d like to know where, specifically, in a world of bickering and discord … where we “follow” thousands of like-minded bots on our devices and get our minute-by-minute dopamine hit from YouTube and apps, where can we find something real?
More to the point, is there even a vestige of what it is to be an individual, a true believer in equality and democracy, and a participating citizen of these United States?
Yes. You can easily find all of that.
Visit your local library.
A library card is still the single most democratic tool in this country. More than voting or demonstrating or being part of a mass protest (all of which have their place). The local library is the most radical idea we have ever had: IT IS THE PLACE WHERE EVERYONE BELONGS.
In a world of algorithms, libraries are human (becoming less so, but still…). In a world of subscriptions libraries are free. In a world of endless scrolling, libraries invite you to pause.
Yes, they have eBooks. Yes, libraries have AI workshops and circulate Wi-Fi hotspots. Got it. BUT! There is much more to it than that because libraries circulate hope in a hopeless world (yeah I said it). Libraries offer people … not only access to knowledge and books and data, but real interaction with each other.
No doubt you can make the case libraries are “obsolete.” I understand: “We have the Internet!”
Yeah, I know. We have the entire history of the planet in the palm of our hands every moment of every day. Access to every book, every dissertation, every speech, every communication ever written all the time, all over the planet, all easy to access.
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Well, easy to access if you have paid for the necessary platforms, memberships, communication fees, and enrollments. (Plus, you have to remember the 28 different passwords you need for the individual platforms, memberships, and apps… but that is another column and I don’t feel like writing about it. At least not today)
The library? Let me get this straight: you go into a library. You show them you live in the community. You then sign up and you are GIVEN a card. That card allows you TO CHECK OUT A BOOK, WHICH YOU TAKE HOME OR TO THE BEACH, YOU READ IT AND THEN RETURN IT, AND THEN YOU CHECK OUT ANOTHER ONE!? NO RENTAL FEE? OR IF YOU WANT TO YOU CAN JUST SIT RIGHT THERE IN THE LIBRARY AND READ IT!?!?
Let me ask that again: YOU CAN GO INTO A LIBRARY AND SIT DOWN WITH A BOOK YOU FOUND THERE, ON A SHELF, PROBABLY RECOMMENDED TO YOU BY THE PERSON AT THE DESK WHO SMILED AND SAID, “Why yes, we have that book… we have everything written by James Patterson… it’s right over here.” THEN THIS PERSON GUIDED YOU TO A BOOKSHELF, TOOK A BOOK OFF THE SHELF, HANDED IT TO YOU AND SAID, “Here you go!”
AND YOU DIDN’T PAY ANYTHING FOR THAT SERVICE!?!? PLUS YOU GET TO SIT RIGHT THERE AND START READING IT?!? HAHAHHAHAHAHA! WHAT PLANET ARE YOU ON!??!
NOTE: yes, if you don’t live or have a home in the community, there is a fee you would pay for the privilege of using the facility, taking books and being part of the library system. With all due respect, DUH.
It gets better: libraries are a public good, like roads or schools. They’re not just nice-to-haves; they’re essential for a society that claims to value opportunity. Remember I used the word ‘radical?’ The USA was and is a radical notion. Libraries are a prime example of that in the tech-dependent world in which we live.
Local governments are stretched thin—public services, the police, the public schools, and a dozen other priorities eat up budgets.
Many libraries are co-funded by the federal government which has deeper pockets and a broader view and can spread costs across the nation, making sure libraries aren’t the first thing cut when a town is “tightening the belt.”
Plus, federal involvement signals that knowledge and access to information are national priorities, not just local charity cases. There is a reason that libraries are given funds: it is a professional, informed, broad-base-of-reference job that requires knowledge of literature, history, technical know-how, interpersonal and communication skills and a complete understanding of the books on the shelves that range from the children’s section to War and Peace! I’m not even bringing up time management, adaptability, and professionalism.
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These libraries are the beating heart of our communities; public places that actually care about its people. These are not just buildings with books; this is where the underdog gets a shot; where someone with no Wi-Fi at home can still dream big; where an old-timer can read a newspaper without selling a soul to a paywall. The librarians? They’re not just shushing you in 2025… they’re helping America read again — guiding us through the chaos of the world, handing out knowledge like it’s free candy and setting up a knitting club for Tuesday at 1pm, a children’s reading hour on Thursday, and an author’s book-signing next month. If we let libraries die, we’re not just losing books—we’re losing our minds.
Note: the writer’s wife is a librarian. That means his house is organized by the Dewey Decimal System. He can’t find his socks, but he knows exactly where the history of socks is shelved—third drawer, 391.413!
Thanks for reading! Taylor P.S. You might like my book, IRREVERSIBLE BY TAYLOR MASON. Ask for it at your local library or buy it HERE. Listen to the STORIES UNLIMITED PODCAST on APPLE or SPOTIFY.
And if you need a one-of-a-kind, personalized video for Father’s Day, a high school or college grad, or just a fun and FUNNY video for anyone, I’ll make one! Just request it HERE.
Podcasts Spotify Cameo Irreversible (my book)
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