Cenizo Journal Spring 2022 | Page 13

MORRISON HARDWARE www . morrisonhardware . com
Elah Barlow and Annaliese West , Marathon Library Madie West , Marathon Library Marathon Library
your whole week if it doesn ' t happen .”
Annaliese West , now in middle school , fondly remembers her Pre-COVID elementary days . “ I would walk here every day after school and play on the computers and read books and eat snacks . And it was really fun . It just gave us something to , like , look forward to and have a time to hang out with your friends .”
Both libraries serve a wide spectrum of patrons including ranchers , researchers , writers , waitresses and construction workers . Some families are extremely conservative while others are liberal . The income spread is immense . Religious beliefs span the spectrum from evangelical to atheist . Unlike their urban counterparts , most of these youth and their families have traveled to big cities for cultural experiences , athletics and academic competitions . Everyone knows the limitations within their region . For some , the library is a way to cope with the strain of living in such a remote region ; for others , an opportunity to expand their thinking while loving the life they get to live .
Madie West , a junior at Marathon High School , sums up the experience of many when she shares , “ I love the country aspect of my life . But then at the same time ,
when I get out of college , I want to travel . I want to go see the world . I would like to be a lawyer or something in government . I know I don ’ t have the opportunities city kids have but the library gives me a chance to learn a lot .”
Cavness reflects on her book groups and her hopes for the youth who participate . Her favorite part of the book club is “ listening closely so I can unlock the junior high code and hear that what they are talking about has a deep truth . I believe libraries are important because they allow young people to find themselves and their kindred spirits between the pages of a book at a time when they may be too shy and insecure to let their true selves out into the world . Girls probably feel this most . The judgement they face from others can be debilitating ! Books don ' t judge .”
In these remote regions , a place for growing minds to flourish without judgment can be the difference between a smooth transition to adulthood , and a descent into the isolation that is never far away in rural America . Libraries always have , and still stand as a bulwark against loneliness — a place to make true friends , whether on the written page or in real life . �

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Cenizo Spring 2022 13