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“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.
[Response to questionnaire in Saturday Review, October 29 1960]”
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[Response to questionnaire in Saturday Review, October 29 1960]”
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“A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life-raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination. On a cold rainy island, they are the only sheltered public spaces where you are not a consumer, but a citizen instead”
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“Here is the treasure chest of the world - the public library, or a bookstore.”
― Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence
― Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence
“I attempted briefly to consecrate myself in the public library, believing every crack in my soul could be chinked with a book.”
― The Poisonwood Bible
― The Poisonwood Bible
“I received the fundamentals of my education in school, but that was not enough. My real education, the superstructure, the details, the true architecture, I got out of the public library. For an impoverished child whose family could not afford to buy books, the library was the open door to wonder and achievement, and I can never be sufficiently grateful that I had the wit to charge through that door and make the most of it. Now, when I read constantly about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that the door is closing and that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.”
― I. Asimov: A Memoir
― I. Asimov: A Memoir
LPL’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at LPL’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by LPL
Lists liked by LPL
