1. The library value that resonates with me most is engagement. Collaboration is central to all library functions and purposes. Through every step of our lives, particularly as students, the library is the backbone of our education. In elementary school, we had story times and book readings led by our librarians. They instilled in us a love of reading, exploring, and learning. As we grow up, there are more opportunities for us to use libraries as places to share our own knowledge and expertise. Libraries change us from students to teachers. I have seen more and more how important libraries are as spaces for community engagement and collaboration.
2. I read the article, "A Love Letter to Libraries, Long Overdue" in the New York Times. The article photographed and described library happenings in seven states. It described how libraries are lively places and do not just perform a single function. Libraries are full of life and activity and are meant to be accessible and safe for all people. A quote that stuck out to me was: "The modern library keeps its citizens warm, safe, healthy, entertained, educated, hydrated and, above all, connected...Libraries have always been a place of worship for a certain type of person, but they’re also community centers, meeting houses and pop-up medical clinics, offering vaccines, homework help, computer classes, craft sessions and tax advice." Libraries play different roles in our lives, whether they be personal, work-related, or educational. Despite book bans and technological shifts, libraries remain public spaces for discourse, resistance, and dialogue.