Words of Wisdom

Ah, the hectic life of the graduate student. No time for my typical overly-verbose posting. But lest it seem I have neglected the blog (for shame!), I'm going to share some wonderful quotes about libraries.

The inscription over the door of the library at Thebes:

"Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul."

Why it rules: We help people heal themselves. All reading fills a need, whether it's a need for knowledge, entertainment, adventure, or distraction.

"The best of my education has come from the public library... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book. You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library." -Lesley Conger

Why it rules: Me too! I skipped at least one class a week when I was in high school but I wasn't up to any shenanigans, I was at the public library hiding in the back of the reading room. And I learned more as a precocious, curious teenager reading books too old for me than I possibly could have dodging spitballs and ignoring PDA at my high school.

"A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone." -Jo Godwin

Why it rules: Something to offend everyone means a very well-rounded collection. And offending people forces them to consider what they believe and, more importantly, why they believe it.

For more awesome quotes, check out this post on the blog, "The Centered Librarian." Enjoy!