Wow, this week has been busy as we have had all of the events of our summer reading program swirling around us; it has been wonderful! As there was so little time in between the decision to have an onsite summer reading program and actually implementing the program, we are doing a lot of flying by the seat of our pants. You can still come in and sign up for the program and the chance to win a bunch of cool prizes and play games that have weekly winners. I know lots of things are going on, but Dan, Dan the Magic Man will be here Thursday, July 9 at the Christian Church at 10:00 AM, and we would love to have you in attendance. He is a favorite of both children and adults. Come join us as we go through our untraveled maze; we don’t even know all the details! We do know we were wanting to have most of the programming outside, but it is just too hot and, as you well know, that is the truth.
Speaking of TRUTH! In the year 2020, a year that seems to signify being able to see clearly, nearly everything has been wrapped in murky layers of deceit and deception. Being able to find the 100% undiluted truth seems to be on the wrong side of possible.
I know I am not the only one who is saddened by those who feel the need to erase the existence of our history. There is absolutely no arguing the point that this country has some history that we certainly cannot take pride in. Doing away with statues and the written word that portrays our history does not change what has happened, it only takes away from the opportunity to learn from the mistakes our ancestors made and make sure we don’t repeat them. It shows us the kind of leadership that creates a thriving country and examples of leadership to avoid.
I would like to start a project here at Lincoln Library. We have a shelf that has a lot of empty space and we are going to dedicate it to history books that are truthfully written. I want books that have no right or left slant, no Democrat or Republican twist, just 100% truth.
This is a public library. We want this library to have available what the public wants and needs. If it’s a book you can live vicariously through and enjoy a good story about fictitious people on a fictitious beach having a fictitiously happy summer, we want to be able to supply that book. If it’s a mystery to get your mind racing through the mayhem and trying to figure out who the murderer is before the last page of the book, we want to be able to accommodate you. If it is the truth you are looking for, whether for your own search or the drive to make certain your children know the truth about our history, we want that to be available to you also.
I would love for this to be a community effort through suggestions, donations, and fact checking. The goal of this project will not be completion, but a continuing effort in building a collection of history books that accurately describe and depict our history. I want these books to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What is the absolute truth that led up to the masses of people marching meekly to their deaths in the gas chambers of World War II. I want books about the reasons for World War I and why there was such a high number of causalities. I want books about the Civil War. It has become so apparent in recent events that there are a lot of people out there whose knowledge of the Civil War would not quite fill a snack-size baggie. We need to know about black slavery and white slavery. We need to know about the difference between indentured servants and chattel slavery. And to go further back, how about the Revolutionary War? They fought to established freedom for this country. What are the myths and legends that we believe, but are not grounded in truth? We need to continue to go back to when the settlers began coming to this country. What atrocities were the indigenous people subjected to because of greed, and why was the horrible treatment allowed to continue as “civilization” slowly crept westward?
Maybe, if we know the truth, both good and bad, and acknowledge that it is a part of our history, we can work together to make sure the bad is not repeated and the good can be used as a foundation to be built on.
We want to hear your suggestions of books that would be an excellent part of this collection. We want your assistance in building a collection of books that can be used to find the truth about the past that hopefully will help us build a better future!
After Lincoln Library purchased the Mason building north of the library nearly a year ago, ideas began flowing! We contacted an architect to begin our expansion. We pretty well knew what we wanted after numerous discussions, and members of the expansion committee worked hard to get what was in our brains down on paper. The architect put it to scale, and we hope to soon have our plans sitting on an easel for community members to view. This expansion will enable us to provide extra programming and additional services to the community.