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Aug 18
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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks for weighing in, dj. If you ever read Hudson's "Criminal Trespass" book, let me know. That was a cool science project. Did you actually "write" on your paper? I glad to hear you have a fine library.

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Aug 18
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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks, Marsi. I have no idea what Libby is, but based on your recommendation, I'll be certain to check it out. What do you like best about it?

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Aug 24
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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Cool. I will definitely be signing up for it!

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Leigh Gannon's avatar

Ray Bradbury gave a talk at our annual library fundraiser one year and made everyone in the audience swear to stop watching the local news as it gives a skewed view of our community.

Sadly, our librarians no longer staff the front desk. We scan and check out our own books so there’s less opportunity for a short book discussion with a librarian. Those chats were especially important to older readers like my grandmother, whose social sphere grew more limited every year. It’s a shame that those connection points are now gone.

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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Leigh. That's some interesting advice from RB. I agree with you about self-checkout procedures. I love chatting with librarians.

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Marti Franks's avatar

I connected with every word in today's letter. If you are ever near Cleveland do come to any of our great county libraries, BUT the best independent or just the best ever, is the Twinsburg Public Library on Ravenna Road. It has all the things you wrote about and an exquisite used book store. Like all "Friends of the Library" book sales it is run be volunteers and stocked by donations from the community.The collection is eclectic. The volunteers are truly friends. We even have a gift counter with items from local crafters. It is loosely organized so browsing is essential. I do think Ray would have been a frequent shopper.

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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks for your kind words, Marti. My traveling days are over, unfortunately, but I'm delighted to hear that you have wonderful library options available to you.

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andre hubert's avatar

Libriaries-one of the few remaining pillars of the hmmm..Civilization

andre hubert

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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks, Andre. I couldn't agree more!

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Barbara E's avatar

This was a fascinating read! I have never known about how long the idea of sharing information has gone on. And that so many civilizations thought that way! I've been more focused on the sciences than on English or history. Glad to learn!

I love going to my local library and appreciate the help they give. So glad you gave a list of how to support them.

Am going to share your thoughts with my friend at the town library and with the person who runs the library at community where I live. Thank you!!!

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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks for your kind words, Barbara, and thanks for your willingness to spread the word to your library friends.

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Larry E's avatar

Your theme this week was near and dear to me. Although I have supported libraries, I was totally impacted by libraries in a different way than most. I worked for OCLC, a company that provides library software for libraries around the world, it is a not for profit company. OCLC is widely known throughout the library community, and the software we provide is widely used by librarians. I always felt a great sense of pride being part of this company, that was doing something for the greater good. I retired from OCLC in 2019 after 33 years of service, and I still carry that sense of pride with me to this day.

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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks, Larry. People are "connected" to libraries in many different ways, and yours was an especially interesting one. Thanks for sharing this aspect of your life.

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