Somerville Public Library Blog

On Tuesday, September 8th, in an address to America’s schoolchildren, President Obama pointed out that the responsibility for educating young people is shared by teachers, parents, government, and - most importantly - by the students themselves.  While the President didn’t mention libraries specifically, it’s clear that they have a vital role to play in empowering students to fulfill their educational goals.  The following quote illustrates this:

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.  I do that every day.  Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.  So find an adult that you trust - a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor - and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

“A parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor”…I would add to that list, “a librarian.”  The Library invites children - and adults - to ask questions and to ask for help.  We can start you on the road to learning something new.  We can help people of all ages to meet their educational goals.  We’re here for you - just ask.

Here’s a link to the full text of President Obama’s speech and here’s a link to a video of it.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 3:46 pm and is filed under Library Services, News.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.