Firstly, let’s look at the definition of a public library.

A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.

According to the Library of Congress fact sheet, “The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States - and extensive materials from around the world - both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.”

The Library of Congress was created April 24, 1800.

“It is the nation’s library, containing more than 162 million items in nearly every language and format - from ancient Chinese woodblock prints to digital files,” the fact sheet continues. “Today, the library preserves treasures such as a Gutenberg Bible, Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation in Abraham Lincoln’s hand.”

Public libraries are a wonderful element of American society that made knowledge and literature widely accessible to people of all incomes and locations, long before the advent of the Internet.

They were almost unheard of before the mid-1800s. Yet in 2011, 65% of American households reported visiting their local public library in the previous year, and, in 2013, more than 96% of Americans reported having access to public library service.

The Public Library of Catasauqua is funded by the three areas it serves: North Catasauqua and Catasauqua boroughs and Hanover Township, Lehigh County, as well as Catasauqua Area School District.

The state also contributes to the cost of running a public library. While these contributions are not enough in total to run the library, we are very fortunate to have an exceptionally supportive community here. The many generous donations from you have eased our burden.

Our patrons are polite, appreciative and encouraging.

Controversial books are a touchy subject. In September 2023, Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter wrote an article commenting on the increase in complaints about controversial books in public libraries. More than two years into a sharp rise in book challenges across the United States, restrictions are increasingly targeting public libraries, where they could affect not only the children’s section, but also the books available to everyone in a community.

However, public libraries provide reading materials and items that reflect all points of view. Some think items in public libraries should reflect “community standards,” but, for many critics, this is the crux - whose community standards?

We should look back to the founding of public libraries and their purpose. In the age of the Internet, it is difficult to imagine a time when information was accessed by the written and spoken word. Libraries remain a shining example of society’s efforts to inform, educate and impart knowledge.

The state and local communities fund our library, as well as all your donations and the tireless work of the Friends of the Library. In turn, we hold in trust, information and access to information, for the community.

Ultimately, it is you, the people who come into our library, who make it a success.

FEBRUARY BOOKS

Fiction: “Chasing Endless Summer,” V.C. Andrews; “Three-Inch Teeth,” C.J. Box; “Murder in the Tea Leaves,” Laura Childs; “First Lie Wins,” Ashley Elston; “End of Story,” A.J. Finn; “Diva,” Daisy Goodwin; “The Ghost Orchid,” Jonathan Kellerman; “The Bad Weather Friend,” Dean Koontz; “The Summer Book Club,” Susan Mallery; “Wandering Stars,” Tommy Orange; “After Annie,” Anna Quindlen; “Last Night,” Luanne Rice; “Never Too Late,” Danielle Steel; “The New Couple in 5B,” Lisa Unger

Nonfiction: “Tiny Traumas: When You Don’t Know What’s Wrong, but Nothing Feels Quite Right,” Megan A. Arroll; “Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House,” Jared Cohen; “Dear Mom and Dad: A Letter About Family, Memory and the America We Once Knew,” Patti Davis; “Gut Check: Unleash the Power of Your Microbiome to Reverse Disease and Transform Your Mental, Physical and Emotional Health,” Steven R. Gundry, M.D.; “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself,” Crystal Hefner; “Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum,” Antonia Hylton; “The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky,” Simon Shuster

Juvenile: “The Eyes & the Impossible,” Dave Eggers; “Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor,” Alan Gratz; “No More School, April Fools!” Dan Gutman; “She Can Stem: 50 Trailblazing Women in Science from Ancient History to Today,” Liz Lee Heinecke; “Amulet 9: Waverider,” Kazu Kibuishi; “What Is a Solar Eclipse?” Dana Meachen Rau

Young adult: “The Bad Ones,” Melissa Albert; “Fate Breaker,” Victoria Aveyard; “The Collectors: Stories,” A.S. King; “The Invocations,” Krystal Sutherland; “Nigeria Jones,” Ibi Zoboi

Children’s picture books: “What’s New, Daniel?” Micha Archer; “The Crayons Love Our Planet,” Drew Daywalt; “I Want To Be a Scientist (I Can Read Level 1),” Laura Driscoll; “Escargot and the Search for Spring,” Dashka Slater; “Big,” Vashti Harrison; “Pikachu’s First Friends,” Rikako Matsuo; “Is This a House for Hermit Crab,” Megan McDonald; “Cranky,” Phuc Tran; “Are You Big?” Mo Willems

Board book: “Why Does it Rain? Weather with the Very Hungry Caterpillar,” Eric Carle; “Unicorn Party,” Maria Le