They’ll Leave a Light on For You

Do you believe in democracy? I mean, really believe? I’m not just talking about saying the pledge of allegiance or decorating with red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July. If the hardcore values of a democratic society are precious to you and if you are finding current events alarming, I have a suggestion for you.

Get a library card. It’s free, and it gives you access to books, music, movies, magazines and newspapers and much, much more. Take a look at this brief article:

5 Reasons Everyone Should Have a Library Card, Lindsey Simon, I Love Libraries

But how does that support democracy?

Supporting access to information for all

Libraries are among our country’s most democratic institutions, promoting free and open access to information for everyone. Registering for a library card is one of the easiest ways to support this mission, since libraries use their sign-up stats to prove their value to local policymakers and advocate for much-needed funding. When you sign up for a library card, you’re helping demonstrate that today’s libraries are more important than ever.

So: get a library card. Make sure your kids have them, your grandkids, your spouse. Then make library visits a regular part of your life. If you can’t always make it into the physical library space, check out the website. There’s a ton of online opportunities including downloadable materials, plus online workshops and tutorials. If you want to stay up-to-date about what’s happening at your library and learn more about how to benefit from all that’s on offer, sign up to receive the weekly library newsletter. It’s called HiLights and comes out on Tuesdays.

A certain area newspaper carried the words “Democracy Dies in Darkness” on its masthead which felt inspiring right up until they showed with their own actions exactly how Democracy does die in darkness. By contrast, when it comes to democracy, libraries are the embodiment of that old Motel 6 slogan, “We’ll leave a light on for you.”

Taking advantage of that light is an effective way to push back on the darkness. It’s one of the simplest participatory ways to defend democracy that you have available to you right now. Plus, it’s a lot easier to talk to friends and coworkers about fun and interesting things going on at the library than trying to get them to turn out to protest, donate to causes, or go to your church, for instance.

The Howard County Library System is celebrating its 85th birthday this year and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate them and democracy than to help them light some candles rather than cursing the darkness.

Image from Howard County Library social media

Comments

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

What Kids Are Thinking

It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed. Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings. And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog