<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14472">thank you j. maurer for posting the pbs link regarding librarians protesting the president's executive orders.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14497"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14498">the comments following the article, though lengthy and occasionally strident, are absolutely fascinating.<br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14581"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14582">"lively" does not begin to describe the discussion. i was utterly transfixed.<br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14583"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14592">one thing is apparent... people (or, people who post on the internet) are passionate about libraries.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14594"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14602">for good or for ill.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14603"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14615">the article & comments are reminiscent of something kwame alexander once said in an interview:</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14843"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14844">books can serve as mirrors or windows--they help us see either a reflection of of ourselves or a foreign, outside, world.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14903"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14915">undoubtedly, i butchered the quote but that's certainly how i felt after reading the discussion.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14988"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_15016">without staking out a position on executive orders, I <i>do</i> think an argument can be made that libraries provide a vibrant and necessary platform for public discourse.<br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_15017"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_15018">dan cawley</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_15019">seaside public library<br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14845"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487272262565_14846">(off the clock, speaking only for myself, and in no way representative of my employer's or colleague's opinions)<br></div></div></body></html>