When this institution was first getting established as a county library in 1946 with appropriated funding and a levied one mil for tax support, the county delegation gave us our name--The Horry County Memorial Library. What a great name. An entire library system dedicated to the memory of all servicemen from Horry who served their country.
I can not think of a better or more appropriate group, our veterans, to honor in the naming of a library. Stop and think about it. Our county libraries honor the very people that defend all our liberties, including the freedom of speech where we as U.S. citizens derive our freedom to read. We have the right to read anything and our forefathers knew how important it was to have a well informed citizenry for effective participation to make our new indirect democracy work. Which leads us to the reason for being here. To celebrate the ground breaking of our newest library, or as I like to think of them, Arsenals of Democracy. And if you think I am being a little too dramatic linking veterans to our freedom of speech and libraries, ask yourself this, what kind of information would you have access to if you had to use a library that honored Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro. I imagine you would not have the right to use databases such as the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. I guarantee you would have what librarians call an unbalanced collection because every dictator knows the power of information.
So here we stand on an old bombing range, once used to train airmen during the second world war to bomb and destroy enemies that would probably not make good Friends of libraries, to begin construction on the county's tenth library. By the way, we think most of the bombs have been cleared from this property. In fact during the site work process we reversed the meaning of the phrase "Bombs Away." Not only are we physically breaking ground, but we are breaking ground by placing two county services at one location that some might think are on opposite ends of the entertainment spectrum. By placing the Parks and Rec Center next to the Carolina Forest Library we can serve the Horry County citizens' mind and body. The library is looking forward to possibly reaching people who may have never used libraries simply because it may not have been convenient or they were unaware of all the resources and services we offer. Of course this works for the Parks and Rec department as well, they are sure to entice library patrons who have never taken advantage of their services and programs. I think we will refer to these kinds of patrons as "Recreational Readers."
We are fortunate to live in a county that values libraries and understands how they can inform, empower, and transform communities. Libraries are one of the few information places in an already overcrowded field that do not have an agenda to persuade or sell you something. We are a place for access to almost all ideas--a core value of any open democratic society. Empower yourself by being informed. Use the library's many collections to have all the facts and information you need to make better decisions. Knowledge is empowering.
So let me close by once again thanking the Horry County Council for making the funding for this library possible; thanks to Gary Watson and the maintenance department for working with the library on this construction project; and thanks to PMH Associates for their patience and time working with the library to design our newest Arsenal of Democracy. But as we stand and break ground on what was once a bombing range, I hope that all of you will remember all our veterans who have sacrificed so much to protect and defend all the rights guaranteed to us under the U.S. Constitution, especially our right to read.
Currently Reading: My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
Does it get better than Pat Conroy? I think I could read just about anything he writes and enjoy it. This is one of the authors that I take my time with and slowly digest each word, sentence, and paragraph. I have already started making a bibliography of the books Mr. Conroy discusses in this interesting biographical look at his life. We all measure our lives out in different ways just as Prufrock measured his in teaspoons. Mr. Conroy has written different autobiographical essays of his life and discusses the books that were important to him at the time. I highly recommend this book to anyone.Currently Listening: Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
Summary: The bestselling author of "The Devil in the White City" tells the amazing, interwoven stories of two men--Hawley Crippen, a doctor and an unlikely murderer, and Gugliemo Marconi, the obsessive genius who invented the wireless--whose stories converge during the greatest criminal chase of all time. If you are a fan of Micro histories this title will appeal to you. I have been fascinated with the dramatic story of Marconi and his struggles to get the wireless telegraph company "off the ground." I admit that I had never heard of the Crippen murders but this story will also keep you driving slow so you can continue to listen. I would also recommend this bok to all true crime fans.
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