I had an inkling that the economy was in trouble a year ago when I worked in a rural library and a gentleman came into the library to ask for help with writing a resume. As I assisted him, I realized that the resume books and the computers were not really going to help. He didn’t know how to type or use a computer since he’d been working at the lumber mill for over thirty years and hadn’t needed to learn. At that time, I thought the economic problem was just in the town I worked in and didn’t realize how quickly it would spread throughout not only Washington, but the United States.

This week, Newsweek (web edition, April 6, 2009) features a story about a librarian, Eva Gronowska, in Michigan who is dealing with a severely depressed community and helping her customers find the resources they need. Eva’s viewpoint of a busy night at the library and 150 computers all in high demand is something that I have heard numerous times in the last few months. I invite you to read Eva’s story and think about the similarities and/or differences between her library in Michigan and our libraries in Washington.