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Who needs the library? We all do.

Boy, is it hot outside! It’s so hot that the fish are looking for a cool drink of water! And the humidity is awful! I feel like I have to swim to my car! And by the time I get there, I might as well have been swimming because I’m soaking wet from sweat! But, hey, it is July, right? It’s summertime and all that.

And it could be worse. We could be in Texas or Arizona, where the temperatures are expected to exceed 110 degrees, as I am writing today! That is unreal! I need to ask my fellow oldsters, did it get this hot when we were kids? I think it did, we just didn’t care. We would just run around barefoot, jump through the sprinkler and chase June bugs. Plus, we didn’t have all of the ‘authority figures’ in the world telling us how hot it was and that the world would dry up in the next 100 years. Oh, that’s right, back then they were predicting a new ice age. Go figure.

But, it is summertime and with that comes a million things to do other than read a book. There are all types of outdoor activities such as going to the lake, swimming and fishing and camping. You have youth sports to participate in like baseball. Of course, there is sitting on the couch playing video games or surfing social media that is taking up an increasing amount of everyone’s time these days.

So, who needs the library? Everyone needs the library! Studies have been done on this issue and there is a large volume of information about it. I am just going to touch on a few points.

Libraries encourage our children to read. Various programs and interactions stimulate interest in books and it gives an introduction to information and knowledge available. All of this stimulates a child’s imagination and the desire to learn and explore the world around them.

And it is not only the children that need our libraries. Imagination and the thirst for knowledge do not stop at any age, or they shouldn’t. We all need a place to go where we can learn. We need a place to go to explore our interests. We need a place to go and enjoy the community.

We need a place where we can just chill.

We all need the library.

Be good!

J.B. Crenshaw is the library director for Lunenburg County Public Library System. He can be reached at jbcrenshaw.lcpls@gmail.com.