Libraries and Archives

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Library at St. Florian Monastery - Goodwill Librarian at Facebook


Many, many years ago, in what seems to be another lifetime, I read a little story about books in a library that comes back to haunt me.  The story was in an obscure book or magazine in somebody else's possession, so totally inaccessible. The closest answer to an internet search reveals, The Book of the Elders, Sayings of the Desert Fathers translated and compiled by John Wortley, 1993; several years after I read the original story.  This book is available on Amazon for over $41, a bit outside my budget.

The basic premise of the story was that there was a monastery which had an extensive library, faithfully maintained by the monks. One evening the abbot of the monastery was enjoying the evening air as he walked around the walls when he encountered Satan. In a conversation that followed, Satan boasted of some recent accomplishments in the downfall of men but he also voiced a complaint to the abbot.

"As long as those books are available in your library, I cannot win." murmured Satan as he walked away.

There are probably a multitude of interpretations for this story; I see the wealth of knowledge available today and for the future.  This is especially true in public libraries, institutions that answer a myriad of needs for members of its community. According to UNESCO, a public library serves as the local gateway to knowledge, providing the foundation for lifelong learning, independent decision-making, cultural development, and social cohesion within a community.

There have been many famous libraries throughout history; the Library at Alexandria is the first that comes to my mind. It was one of the largest and most significant of the ancient world.  According to legend, its destruction began under Julius Caesar and continued for another four or five hundred years.  Isn't it interesting that two thousand years later, we still revere the influence it had on people of its time.


Library at Trinity College - Dublin


A quick review of centuries of history shows the growth of availability of information from the invention of the printing press to modern technology. As a result we have specialized libraries and archives such as we have never known before.

But, if you look around today, you see that some libraries are closing due to budget shortfalls and lack of support, perhaps because of the attitude that "everything is on the internet; we don't need books and buildings anymore." The percentage of written material that has been digitized is probably still in the single numbers. 


Washington State Library’s Research Library, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library Closed To Public Due To Budget Shortfall

June 06, 2025


OLYMPIA – The Washington State Library (WSL) announced program closures for their research library and the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library and a restriction of services at those locations after funds to keep them open were not included in the signed 2025-27 state budget.

Both the research library in Tumwater, Washington, and the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) in Seattle will be closed to the public beginning on July 1 and continue to be closed until further notice. Staffing and resource cuts at both locations made keeping them open and running impractical.

https://www.sos.wa.gov/about-office/news/2025/washington-state-librarys-research-library-washington-talking-book-braille-library-closed-public-due

While preparing this column, I searched for library pictures on Facebook because there was a particular picture that I saw recently. I didn't find the one I was seeking but I found the one below instead. SKCGS volunteers Winona Laird and Marilyn Schunke with books from the society traveling library at the Kent FamilySearch Center, 2018! We are making our additions to libraries in South King County with the books we have placed and by the volunteers who work at the help desks.


Winona Laird and Marilyn Schunke - 2018





MaryLynn Strickland    

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Send your stories to m.strickland@skcgs.org




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