Taking the good things in life for granted is never a good idea, but that’s what happening in some corners of this country when it comes to the value of public libraries. In Georgia, legislation that would require all public libraries to sever ties with the American Library Association just passed the state senate. Over in South Carolina, the Greenville County Library system did just that years ago. You might think that no would consider an association dedicated to promoting literacy and supporting libraries and librarians to be a hotbed of radicalism and socialist propaganda, but you would be wrong.
The good news is Polk Country’s Public Library seems to have avoided falling into the trap set by the culture warriors. Our little county has not one but two library branches — the main one in Columbus and another in Saluda, and there doesn't seem to be any threat to its mission. In fact, as you’ll hear in this interview with the library’s director, Marcie Dowling, the list of services it provides is only growing, far beyond just providing free access to books.
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