Dear Friends and Good People  -

Every once in a while, there comes along an important read. Take a close look at these three. 

1.
To Restore Civil Society, Start With the Library  -  This crucial institution is being neglected just when we need it the most.

In an important look at why we have libraries and how they serve to improve our local communities, sociologist Eric Klinenberg writes on last Saturday’s New York Times opinion page that the library is a crucial institution “being neglected just when we need it the most. … Libraries are the kinds of ‘social infrastructure’ places where people with different backgrounds, passions and interests can take part in a living democratic culture.”
 

Adapted from his book, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (to be published this week), Klinenberg suggests a way forward. He believes that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces: libraries, childcare centers, bookstores, churches, synagogues, and parks where crucial, sometimes life-saving connections, are formed. 


2.
Last May, Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America by James and Deborah Fallows was published. 

Traveling by air in their small plane, James and Deborah Fallows visited often overlooked cities and towns across America, including in the country’s midsection, sometimes referred to as “fly-over country.” The perspective they gained was often surprising as they uncovered off-the-beaten-path communities rising from the ashes of industrialism and reimagining themselves in creative ways. The Fallows, both writers for The Atlantic magazine, chronicled their four-year odyssey in Our Towns. They share their optimistic take on the people and places they discovered, and what’s making communities thrive today.

The Reinvention of America  -  Americans don’t realize how fast the country is moving toward becoming a better version of itself.  (May 2018)
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/05/reinventing-america/556856/

C-SPAN Washington Journal Interview. (25 May 2018)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?445994-5/washington-journal-james-deborah-fallows-discuss-our-towns          

A discernible “reverse talent migration” - away from the coasts, into the heartland - is taking place.   In what underpublicized ways is America moving forward locally and regionally, while we read only about chaos and discord nationally? To summarize a few: 

Libraries. Libraries might seem fated to become the civic counterparts of yesteryear’s Borders or Barnes & Noble, but in nearly every city we visited they were newly prominent.  By most measures of use - classes and programs offered, daily attendance, visits to the website, everything except calls to reference librarians for the research people can now do on Google - libraries are becoming more rather than less popular and central to civic life.  The soft measures of impact are powerful: Walk into a random public library, and you’ll see waiting lines for computers, librarians helping with job searches or other practical concerns, desk space for young entrepreneurs.  According to a recent Pew survey, Millennials use libraries more than their Gen X or Boomer elders do.
 
The Fallows did a webinar for the Orton Foundation (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8A26l_F9xY-NCO3tZaXOQg) on 30 August 2018 and which you can hear at  https://orton.adobeconnect.com/pxj6y4lgt2ho/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal   
Unfortunately, there are many audio glitches, drops, and sound desynchronizations - just try to ignore.    
“Libraries are the heart and soul of the community in many ways - they know what’s gong on and they know the needs and wants …”  The library is the “best kept secret in town and one of best kept secrets in the country so they're actually a proxy for the needs for different kinds of engagement to connect with each other.” 

The Fallows also did a presentation and book signing at the National Book Festival September 1.



City Makers: American Futures
The people, organizations, and ideas reshaping the country. A journey piloted by James Fallows with Deborah Fallows.





3.
Lastly, Elizabeth Catte has written What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia, in reaction to her anger at what she considers J.D. Vance’s one-voiced, sloppy, and self-serving narrative in his book, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

Stories Bad and Good: Understanding Appalachia Through Reading   

 "Wrong About Appalachia": Elizabeth Catte deconstructs views of a misunderstood region


Am interested in any reactions, comments you might have.
Enjoy these affirmations of library work in rural and small communities  -  Don


 - - -

Donald B. Reynolds, Jr.
P.O. Box 278
Talbott, Tennessee 37877
865.475.2030
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2014-17, 2018-19 President, Friends of Tennessee Libraries (FOTL)  
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Former Chair, Tennessee Library Association Trustees/Friends Section
Retired Director, Nolichucky Regional Library, Tennessee
Founding Director/Former President, Association for Rural and Small Libraries
Rural & Small Library Directors’ Tool Kit 



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