July 2013: From the Director's Chair

As we celebrate July 4th and listen to politicians and others speak about freedom, it is easier to mark the day with parades, family, food, and fireworks than to reflect on our freedoms and what they mean to us. The cliche that Americans are not given to retrospection and reflection has some truth in it.

Be contemplative and think for a moment about the freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America. Which freedom do you cherish most? The United States Constitution lists four...

1) Freedom of speech
2) Freedom of press
3) Freedom of assembly
4) Freedom of religion


Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke of these freedoms this way: "Freedom of speech and expression...freedom of every person to worship God in his own way...freedom from want...and freedom from fear."

One tagline of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries is FIND FREEDOM AT THE LIBRARY. Historically, libraries have always emphasized the freedom to read and a public library's function is to provide a broad spectrum of points of view so that readers can determine his/her position on the topic.

In a country where all of the above freedoms are often taken for granted, there is one freedom, the freedom to learn, that is virtually ignored. Learning does not always mean formal education. Hopefully, when your formal education is complete, you continue to learn and explore new interests. Regardless of what you are curious about, your reading level, or your available time, there are library materials available to you that can help you pursue your interests.

Kirk Douglas said, "My mother and father were illiterate immigrants from Russia. When I was a child they were constantly amazed that I could go to a building and take a book on any subject. They couldn't believe this access to knowledge we have here in America."

Usually I would provide a selection of titles with this article, but for July I want you to be amazed at the number of items (over 187,300) that the public libraries in Berkeley County have available to you. These are free and allow you to pursue the freedom to learn at your leisure, without constraints of mandates, money, or time.

Pam Coyle, Director
Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries