EDITOR’S NOTE: Coach Sneller is undergoing some medical tests, and was unable to write a column this week. We offer this nugget from the archives, originally published on Aug. 5, 1994.

Next to the church, the building that always inspires the most awe and reverence in me is the library.

Almost every town of any size has one, and what a storehouse of treasure it is.

In a sense, every human being is a walking library. He or she has his or her own story to tell in that individual’s own style. You can walk through a cemetery, and see all of the people that once lived, but you can walk through a library and share the thoughts and words of thousands and thousands of people over the centuries who have left their works behind for the living to study, to learn from and to enjoy. It is awesome in that the great writers, poets, historians and philosophers of civilization itself offer you their best, free of charge, in alphabetical order. It’s like a giant cafeteria of food for the mind and soul, and you can select what appeals to you.

To partake fully of a good library, one needs only to be able to read and a sense of curiosity to find out more. He needs no introduction to the great minds of the ages and he need not fear discrimination. The same material is available to all, with each person allowed to make his or her own interpretation of what he reads. It is one of the most
truly democratic places in the world.

A library is like a community, where time’s authors reside as neighbors. You can pick and choose who YOU wish for friends, for companions, to sit and visit with for a spell, and you can share what they left for you.

In the process, you may discover why certain works have been preserved through the ages and you may find comfort in noting that many truths have not really changed, just different times and circumstances. It is a place where kinships of the mind are forged between writer and reader.

In the hallowed shelves of our libraries, the highest and most famous are at the service of the most lowly and most common. In these silent gatherings, there are no hurt feelings, only the potential for growth and expanded horizons.

In a library, you truly become a part of civilization. Libraries offer a quiet solitude from the hectic pace of modern life.

One can almost hear the echoes of those who left their works there for you and me.