The Library Is Not Only A Diary

The Library Is Central To Our Free Society. It Is A Critical Element In The Free Exchange Of Information At The Heart Of Our Democracy.

One Of My Greatest Sources Of Pride As President Of The New York Public Library Is The Continuance Of The Library's Open, Free, And Democratic Posture, The Fact That We Are Here For Everyman, That We Are Indeed Everyman's University, The Place Where The Scholar Who Is Not College-affiliated Can Come And Work And Feel At Home.

It Is Very Important That, No Matter What Happens, You Keep Your Feeling Of Self Worth And Value.

In Our Democratic Society, The Library Stands For Hope, For Learning, For Progress, For Literacy, For Self-improvement And For Civic Engagement. The Library Is A Symbol Of Opportunity, Citizenship, Equality, Freedom Of Speech And Freedom Of Thought, And Hence, Is A Symbol For Democracy Itself.

The Library Is Our House Of Intellect, Our Transcendental University, With One Exception: No One Graduates From A Library. No One Possibly Can, And No One Should.