Winter Holiday Greetings
As we approach Winter Solstice and the darkest day of the year, it's a good time to remind ourselves of all the light in the world, starting at our community library. Next month, the library will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary of becoming a full-service Library District and its 10-year Anniversary of finding a permanent and beautiful home on Highway 72 North.
For me, both these milestones feel more important than ever to celebrate because they are reminders of what this library is truly about: community. Yet, at one point, there was quite a discussion over whether the library should be named "public" or "community."
What's in a name, you ask? Would our library be so sweet, if it were Nederland Public Library rather than Nederland Community Library?
In a column written over 20 years ago, Hughes Moir, one of the Founding Fathers of the library, shared the thinking behind the decision, and it still rings true today.
"It seemed to us that we live in a world growing more public and less personal. What many of us sought--and found--in settling here (Nederland) was an opportunity for a greater sense of connectivity: connections to the natural beauty that surrounds us, and to others who share that love of our area. We found, in Nederland, a community.
"The Library was not conceived as a storehouse of materials and machines governed by a few folks for the benefit of 'the public.' More than that, we want to bring together the interests of the broadest number of individuals, families, and groups that define us as a community, through cooperative and collaborative effort."
Hughes, you and all the Founding Mothers, Fathers, and Parents of NCL were prescient and timeless, the best attributes of any library.
Sadly, for many in our community these past few months have been more than the dark days of a tilting earth. COVID-19 has brought unprecedented hardships and losses.
This month, let's light a candle in our hearts and windows for solidarity and hope as together we share communal faith in the healing powers of a great community and a GREAT library!
Read further for some of the many ways we hope to bring light into your lives this winter season.
