They walked to the library
Day after day
And turned page after page after page.
from The Library
written by Sarah Stewart
pictures by David Small
Farrar Straus Giroux, 1995
audio version accessed on Hoopla (6/22/25)
I’ve been either a library user or a library employee all my life. And of course there was overlap. I continued to check out books and read (most of) them while I worked as a librarian.
My younger daughter is a librarian, too. She understood the library concept very early. Library books are borrowed. That means you need to give them back. When she lost a book about frogs that she was very interested in, I was sure it would turn up. It did not. When we packed up to move to another house, I was sure it would turn up. It did not. I paid the library to replace the book, but never found the one I checked out for her. Ever!
When she found out about renewals, we kept Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches until I was sure we had kept it too long. I ordered a new copy from The Little Professor, our nearby bookstore, and gave it to her before we returned the library copy.
The girls and I visited most of the libraries in our county and nearby counties, too. We all have multiple library cards. My grandkids do too.
But I’ve never been to a Presidential Library.
In 1815, Thomas Jefferson donated his personal book collection to rebuild the Library of Congress after it and its 3,000 volumes were burned during the War of 1812.
When he offered his collection, most congressmen were pleased. But opposition came from the Federalists, especially Cyrus King. He “argued that Jefferson's books would help disseminate his ‘infidel philosophy’ and were ‘good, bad, and indifferent ... in languages which many can not read, and most ought not.’” (Johnston, W., and Library of Congress. History of the Library of Congress. Volume I, 1800-1864. Government Printing Office, 1904.) The bill was passed by a narrow margin, and the books were acquired.
At the time of his donation, Jefferson’s collection was not a public library as we know them now. Today, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. It houses millions of books, of course, but also films, videos, sound recordings, manuscripts, legislation, periodicals, personal narratives, web archives, 3-D objects, and much more. And the public (that’s us!) can borrow books, periodicals, electronic copies, and newspapers when they’re requested from our local library. They’re handled as Interlibrary Loans.
But the Library of Congress is not Jefferson’s Presidential Library, even though the first items held were his. Surprisingly, the first president to build and open a library was Herbert Hoover.
Hoover’s is part of the sixteen member Public Library System managed by the National Archives, but it was not until Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency that the country adopted his belief that presidential papers, documents, and artifacts belonged to the people of the US. They record our history and make it available to “We the People.”
When a president leaves office (except for once), all the papers, documents, and artifacts are delivered to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This is law. There they are referenced, cataloged, and protected until they are ready for public viewing.
And now we have a new Presidential Library to record our recent history and help us move into the future.
Amid speeches and festivities, the Obama Presidential Center opened last week as a place to congregate, learn, and grow community. The Obamas planned the building “to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world.” And located it in their home town, the South Side of Chicago, to honor the place where they both grew up and eventually made their home.
As part of their mission, the Obamas list 10 values for visitors to explore, and include ideas to help turn their “Hope into Action.”
The Obama Center officially opened appropriately on Juneteenth (June 19), 2026. Visitors are invited to “explore art installations, gardens, nature walks, a playground,” and several dining options.
And the Center houses a branch of the Chicago Public Library.
You can watch both Barak’s speech Michelle’s here.
Although tickets are not available right now for the museum you can get on their mailing list here. The gardens, nature walk, playground, and restaurants are open, and regularly scheduled 15-minute tours are offered in the various gardens. Here's a partial list.
The website for the Obama Center is well-designed and has a wealth of information, but I’m sure it’s not like being there.
Road trip, anyone?
I’m reading Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi (originally self-published in 2023 and bought by Atria Books, 2025). When Theo, no last name given, arrives in Golden, a small southern town, he is intrigued by 92 pencil images hanging on the coffeeshop walls depicting townspeople. He purchases each, one by one, and gifts them to the person depicted in exchange for a conversation. At the half-way point, I’ll hold onto my opinion till next time.
Be curious! (and be the change you want to see)
Day after day
And turned page after page after page.
from The Library
written by Sarah Stewart
pictures by David Small
Farrar Straus Giroux, 1995
audio version accessed on Hoopla (6/22/25)
I’ve been either a library user or a library employee all my life. And of course there was overlap. I continued to check out books and read (most of) them while I worked as a librarian.
My younger daughter is a librarian, too. She understood the library concept very early. Library books are borrowed. That means you need to give them back. When she lost a book about frogs that she was very interested in, I was sure it would turn up. It did not. When we packed up to move to another house, I was sure it would turn up. It did not. I paid the library to replace the book, but never found the one I checked out for her. Ever!
When she found out about renewals, we kept Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches until I was sure we had kept it too long. I ordered a new copy from The Little Professor, our nearby bookstore, and gave it to her before we returned the library copy.
The girls and I visited most of the libraries in our county and nearby counties, too. We all have multiple library cards. My grandkids do too.
But I’ve never been to a Presidential Library.
In 1815, Thomas Jefferson donated his personal book collection to rebuild the Library of Congress after it and its 3,000 volumes were burned during the War of 1812.
When he offered his collection, most congressmen were pleased. But opposition came from the Federalists, especially Cyrus King. He “argued that Jefferson's books would help disseminate his ‘infidel philosophy’ and were ‘good, bad, and indifferent ... in languages which many can not read, and most ought not.’” (Johnston, W., and Library of Congress. History of the Library of Congress. Volume I, 1800-1864. Government Printing Office, 1904.) The bill was passed by a narrow margin, and the books were acquired.
At the time of his donation, Jefferson’s collection was not a public library as we know them now. Today, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. It houses millions of books, of course, but also films, videos, sound recordings, manuscripts, legislation, periodicals, personal narratives, web archives, 3-D objects, and much more. And the public (that’s us!) can borrow books, periodicals, electronic copies, and newspapers when they’re requested from our local library. They’re handled as Interlibrary Loans.
But the Library of Congress is not Jefferson’s Presidential Library, even though the first items held were his. Surprisingly, the first president to build and open a library was Herbert Hoover.
Hoover’s is part of the sixteen member Public Library System managed by the National Archives, but it was not until Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency that the country adopted his belief that presidential papers, documents, and artifacts belonged to the people of the US. They record our history and make it available to “We the People.”
When a president leaves office (except for once), all the papers, documents, and artifacts are delivered to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This is law. There they are referenced, cataloged, and protected until they are ready for public viewing.
And now we have a new Presidential Library to record our recent history and help us move into the future.
Amid speeches and festivities, the Obama Presidential Center opened last week as a place to congregate, learn, and grow community. The Obamas planned the building “to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world.” And located it in their home town, the South Side of Chicago, to honor the place where they both grew up and eventually made their home.
As part of their mission, the Obamas list 10 values for visitors to explore, and include ideas to help turn their “Hope into Action.”
The Obama Center officially opened appropriately on Juneteenth (June 19), 2026. Visitors are invited to “explore art installations, gardens, nature walks, a playground,” and several dining options.
And the Center houses a branch of the Chicago Public Library.
You can watch both Barak’s speech Michelle’s here.
Although tickets are not available right now for the museum you can get on their mailing list here. The gardens, nature walk, playground, and restaurants are open, and regularly scheduled 15-minute tours are offered in the various gardens. Here's a partial list.
The website for the Obama Center is well-designed and has a wealth of information, but I’m sure it’s not like being there.
Road trip, anyone?
I’m reading Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi (originally self-published in 2023 and bought by Atria Books, 2025). When Theo, no last name given, arrives in Golden, a small southern town, he is intrigued by 92 pencil images hanging on the coffeeshop walls depicting townspeople. He purchases each, one by one, and gifts them to the person depicted in exchange for a conversation. At the half-way point, I’ll hold onto my opinion till next time.
Be curious! (and be the change you want to see)
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