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The most rewarding part of my job
is working with so many people and being part
of a community that works so hard to make democracy
functional in our time and in our community. It's a diverse community, not necessarily
racially,
but in terms of thought and in terms of economic diversity
and we struggle hard to make a place, and be a place, for everybody.
Libraries transform people's lives
every day in small ways and in large ways.
We do the obvious things of helping people with jobs,
we do the not so obvious things of having people
who aren't usually together, be together in a functional space in and functional
way.
So children who are home-schooled
and children who attend private schools and children who attend public schools
come together and help each other learn how to use computers.
And adults who normally never would give each other the time of day
outside the library help each other find music and learn how to read
and explore life through the Internet
and be together in a way that they don't often have opportunity to
outside of public spaces. I can't separate what winning the award means to me
outside of the context of what being a part of my community means to me.
This award really is about all my community.
We work together to make things happen.
We stay at the table. We disagree strongly,
but we stay at the table and we walk away
with a better solution. And what the award means to me
is when I forget that and when we struggle with that
that people do share those values and beliefs
and they're the values and beliefs our community and
that's what this award means to me.