Griffin Speaks
THE MONTGOMERY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Growing
up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina was a wonderful experience. I owe a great
deal to the Braswell Memorial Library. When other kids were playing sports
during the summer I was a patron at the library. It was a beautiful facility
forty years ago. Today the new facility is even more beautiful. In Rocky
Mount, North Carolina the Library was a top priority! A large part of my
success in obtaining two law degrees, serving on the Boston University Tax
Law Review and being admitted to practice law in three states can be
attributed to the many hours that I spent in that glorious facility.
My
kids growing up in Montgomery, Alabama are exposed to a public library
facility that is deplorable. I am ashamed to take out of town guest to the
facility. The last time that I visited the library I could not even get a
drink of water. I have expressed my concerns to the Director of the library,
Juanita Owes. Mrs. Owes is a wonderful director and I do not blame her for
the condition of the facility. It is apparent to me that the library
facility is not a major concern of our present leaders. Truth be told the “Big
Mules” of East Montgomery don’t care about it and therefore it
isn’t a priority!
I
did a little research and came across the Mission and Vision Statements of
the Montgomery City-County Public Library System. The part of the statement
that jumped out at me was the part that stated: “It is the vision of the
Montgomery-City-County Public Library System to work with individuals,
organizations, and agencies in this community to identify current needs,
anticipate future demands due to expected explosive growth in the county,
and exceed those expectations with quality services, innovative programming,
and exceptional
facilities.”
Gary
Burton a trustee of the library wrote a wonderful article in the Sunday,
August 14, 2005 Montgomery Advertiser. In that article he posed a very
significant question: “Do civic leaders and the general public value the mission of the
public library?”
Our
civic leaders need our help. We need to find the funds to upgrade the
facilities at the main branch of our library. Some argue that many people do
not use the library. Perhaps the lack of use is because the facility is a
dump! I pray that our new progressive leaders will take this matter
seriously and find a way to bear the costs of a decent facility.
I
hope and pray that we are able to find a way to get those “Big Mules” in East
Montgomery to realize that a world class library facility will benefit us
all. I agree with Gary Burton that “
every building in Montgomery sends a signal about values. We are justifiably
proud of a city well on its way to revitalization. Buildings of government,
commerce, sport and entertainment communicates our values to the world.
There ought to be an indissoluble connection between downtown renewal and
the mission of an institution, which both informs and transforms. Elected
leaders bear responsibility for helping the public feel such a
connection.”
If
you want a better future for Montgomery I strongly suggest that you let your
elected leaders know that you support their improving the downtown library
facilities. We cannot wait for the “Big
Mules” in east Montgomery to jump on board. The time is now!
Greg
Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by
visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com
