It's My Library Too

By Marlena Bergeron

I’m just an American Mom, ‘raised on the promises.

I’m a Veteran’s Spouse, a gardener, a bookworm, a quilter, a baker, an artist, a grandma - my grandbaby is visiting on Saturday! I’m a Catholic and an LGBTQIA+ Ally, And it works with my faith because ‘My God is big enough,’ as Neil deGrasse Tyson would say. And Pope Francis said, ‘Nowhere in my reading of the four Gospels do I see Jesus turning anyone away.’

If you think your marching orders are coming from the Good Book, Then I encourage you to take another look.

Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?

Acts 10:15 Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

And empirically speaking, there’s a stronger scripture-based call for action

From the Faith Community when it comes to showing compassion

And kindness to the immigrant, ‘Because you were once aliens and slaves in Egypt too.

Twenty-three verses, if you count the Golden Rule:

Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

Jesus came to Earth not to build walls between us, but to tear them down.

And something else I found, based on your guidelines, you would need to reshelf the Bible to the adult section. There are several passages, especially in the Book of Judges that require reader discretion. A woman raped to exhaustion and cut up into pieces? An obese man stabbed with a sword to the hilt, the tip coming out his back? These images are horrific and gory, but we should NOT take them out of context as I would hate for any reader to miss out on the Greater Story.

In this country, it should not matter what my beliefs are or my doubts.

What I can tell you with sincere certainty is you will not grown and thrive as a community by keeping taxpayers and library patrons out.

You were asked - Nay, appointed - Nay, invited

To be stewards of this place we hold near and dear.

Instead, you have skewered several of its services and functions out of fear.

This library, this living institution since 1731, this pillar of Ben Franklin’s democracy,

Is a place of public representation, participation, and discovery.

It’s a place for civil dialogue and customized dynamic organic education.

Instead, you are changing -nay, grooming its collection to meet your bias, your hesitations; To match your opinions and your World View,

And what you seem to be missing, is that many patrons did not ask you to.

Equal rights and access for everyone does not mean fewer rights nor fewer books for you.

So step down from that role. Step away from those tables

Unless you think you can be the person we need,

The person who is able

To defend all patrons, To protect all freedom in thought

This is America. This what we were taught.

To seek the Truth and Source Code and Substance

To seek it with all our heart and all our mind.

So, let me decide for myself and for my family which books are worthy of my time.