May 2020 reopening

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, May 2020; written by Rebecca Brown.

The Ketchikan Public Library is elated to announce: We are reopening to the public on Tuesday, May 26! We will be doing business in some new ways to help keep both our patrons safe and the “curve” fabulously flat.

During these first weeks especially, we urge patrons to take a swift approach when visiting the library. To make your “grab and go” even speedier, you are welcome to put your items on hold so we can have them ready for you at the front desk when you arrive.

In today’s newspaper, an insert provides information on:

• Modified library hours that allow for continued curbside service for higher-risk patrons and increased cleaning at the library;

• Computer use stations that offer increased social distancing (machines will be cleaned hourly);

• New hand sanitizer stations, and clear signage that encourages plenty of room between library users.

It is tempting to put this entire sentence in all-caps, but I will (mostly) resist: We cannot WAIT to see your faces again!

How about a book recommendation in the meantime?

“The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty,” by Susan Page was highly recommended to me earlier this year by one of my awesome Outreach patrons. A faithful library user for 40ish years, this person told me that they loved “The Matriarch” so much that they called friends in Juneau to recommend it! Both the audiobook and the hardcover are available at the Ketchikan Public Library.

I gave the audiobook a listen, and was likewise hooked.

Page chooses to begin Mrs. Bush’s story not with her upbringing, marriage or colorful ancestry, but her greatest personal tragedy. It is not a “safe” start, but it powerfully sets the tone for the book’s entirety. You will learn of Mrs. Bush’s childhood (her mother was not the ally you’d expect), her truly charming courtship with George H.W. Bush, tumultuous relationship with Nancy Reagan and much more.

Also important to note: Mrs. Bush allowed Page full access to her many diaries, which will not be released to the public until 2053, or 35 years after her death.

A great book to complement “The Matriarch” might be “George and Barbara Bush: A Great American Love Story,” by Ellie Le Blond Sosa and Kelly Anne Chase. More glowingly written than “The Matriarch,” (Sosa is the Bushes’ granddaughter), it is in the large-print nonfiction section at the library and contains details of their romance that stretches across World War I, the Texas oil fields and the senior George Bush’s political ascent.

Speaking of the large-print section, it is a stealthy way to get reluctant readers of all ages hooked on reading. Our patrons love “cozy mysteries,” but we also have edgier books by Neil Gaiman, J.K. Rowling, Dean Koontz, John Patterson, Veronica Roth and MANY others.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day, and be sure to thank a veteran today for their service!