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Article: Libraries are an essential service, too.(OPINION)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- March 11, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: William Ecenbarger
LANCASTER, PA. -- The Lancaster County Library traces its roots back to 1759, when 54 local residents anted up three guineas each and began buying books. Ben Franklin himself marveled at their initiative, and among the first directors was George Ross, who later would sign the Declaration of Independence.
For nearly 250 years this library and its antecedents have afforded patrons, regardless of economic circumstance, a mind-boggling collection of materials representing 50 centuries of human thought. Plato and Santayana, Shakespeare and Hemingway, Bacon and Darwin stand shoulder to shoulder on its shelves. The library is also a ...