Director’s Message

What a wonderful time of the year to be at the library! We are bursting with good cheer and great events to mark this very special season with you. For some of our customers, the winter holidays hold deep religious significance. For others, it’s a time of crafting, shopping and being a “secret Santa” by serving your community through volunteering.

At the library, we like to mark all those ways of celebrating, learning about one another’s faith and/or family traditions. Please try to get to at least one seasonal event with us so we can feel like we spent the holiday with you, either online or in person.

Like almost everyone, I love surprises. Most of the fun of giving and receiving is that element of the unexpected. Well, this month I have a surprise for you! We have library cards with a new design.* It’s a limited edition on the theme of “Stronger Together.” This is so appropriate for our library because it is the cornerstone of who we are and what we are about. So let’s reflect on that.

Like the photo on our new library card, the communities and customers we serve reflect a wide spectrum of identities, hopes, dreams, beliefs and feelings. Whatever our differences, we are a part of a whole that is incomplete without any one of us. Our message is that everyone is represented at the library, has a role to play, and is encouraged to discover the special, unique person they are. “Here I am, count me in!” is what each shade stands for.

At Broward County Library (BCL), we count everyone in. There is no charge to enter or participate at a public library. And neither are there any barriers based on race, religion, income, sexual identity or any other criterion. Our 36th First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, noted, “Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest.” That comment excites me because I know how much we have to interest you, and we are always adding more. This is especially the case for those who were underrepresented in the past.

We have increased diversity and inclusion in our Online Resources with new categories from NewsBank for LGBTQ Rights, Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Issues, Nationality and Citizenship, Organizations and Associations and many more. And of course, our News & Newspapers page embodies diversity by offering you newspapers from around the world every day. World Newspapers offers you over 600 newspapers from more than 200 countries, in English and native languages. Plus U.S. newspapers, including Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, The New York Times and many more.

At BCL, we have a multi-lingual staff that speaks 29 languages other than English and a multitude of material in every format and genre in languages from around of the world. Avail yourself – it’s all free and waiting for you like presents with your name on them under the tree. And on that note, I wish you a “Happy Holiday!” in every language known to us, and hope that the New Year brings you peace, health and happiness.

*For those who would like one, a new card and key ring card with the Stronger Together design are at the Circulation desk; there is a $1.50 fee and a new card number if you are an existing library customer. That said, your current card need not be changed and will work perfectly for you.

Sincerely, Allison Grubbs

BROWARD COUNTY LIBRARY DIRECTOR