The universal destination of goods...

          

  I must confess that I am hooked on the Netflix series, House of Cards. In a way, I knew I would be as I was absolutely enamored of the original 1990 BBC series of the same name in which an unscrupulous Member of Parliament schemes his way into being elected Prime Minister.  The American version follows a similar trajectory in which Kevin Spacey, playing Francis Underwood, the House Majority Whip, plots revenge on his political enemies in order to position himself - eventually - as a candidate for President. Both the British and American versions borrow heavily from Shakespeare - particularly Macbeth - in which the wife mirrors Lady Macbeth, a co-conspirator, with her husband, in the murder of the king. The American version of House of Cards, however, differs from its British inspiration in its characterization of Underwood’s wife, Claire, who heads a non-profit organization focused on providing clean drinking water in third world countries. She is, however, no less complicit than her British counterpart in providing crucial support for her husband’s schemes (there’s a marvelous scene in which she criticizes her husband not for using her to attack a political enemy, but for doing so unsuccessfully), but her character is much more highly nuanced in straddling the good vs. evil divide. There are two scenes in Episode Six, for example, in which she encounters a homeless person outside her place of business. In the first scene, she notices him but walks by.  In the second, she walks by, stops, turns around, and gives him money, telling him that there is a Deli around the corner.

            I found these two scenes fascinating, not just because they illustrated a highly-nuanced moral depiction of a corrupt politician’s wife; but because they illustrated - at least for me - the principle of the universal destination of goods which is a cornerstone of Evangelii Gaudium (“The joy of the Gospel”) Pope Francis’ first apostolic letter to the world’s Catholics. 

            Now, stay with me, folks, this will make sense (I hope) momentarily. The “universal destination of goods” is a uniquely Catholic concept which asserts that God’s creation is destined for all people to take advantage of and improve upon so that everyone benefits. The Catholic principle of the “universal destination of goods” assumes that private ownership is the primary means by which individuals assist those who struggle with poverty and/or homelessness. It is the principle upon which the virtue of charity is exercised by those who have been blessed with abundance on behalf of those who struggle to make ends meet.  In other words, as Catholics, the Gospel demands that we share our largesse with those for whom life has handed less than a full plate. The corrupt politician’s wife in House of Cards is exercising the Catholic principle of the “universal destination of goods” by giving money to the homeless man.

            This scene impressed me because of her compromised morality.  In other words, her momentary generosity stood out precisely because it was unconnected to her willing participation in her husband’s morally questionable political schemes.  This is where Evangelii Gaudium becomes relevant.  For me, one of the most remarkable statements in the Pope’s apostolic exhortation is this one in which he asks why:         

"it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

The simple act of giving to a homeless person can be understood as charity, guilt or noblesse oblige…none of which addresses Pope Francis’ rhetorical question about the newsworthiness of the death of a homeless person.  And, I suppose, we know exactly why the question is rhetorical: a change in the stock market directly affects us in ways that will never be true for the death of a homeless person.  And yet, it is probably the case, that all of us, at one time or another has given money or food to a homeless individual. Rarely, however, do we think about why we do so. In Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope makes clear why we engage in charitable activities - to advance the universal destination of goods - so that all may benefit from His creation. For some, this may seem to be a terribly inefficient method of ameliorating the social costs of inequality; but, as the Prophet Isaiah reminds us, God’s ways are not our ways.

            Every student at La Salle knows that service is an important priority in their educational development - it is another method of effecting the universal destination of goods.  And, just as Claire Underwood stopped to think about assisting the homeless man in House of Cards, we want our students to be intentional with respect to their acts of charity now and in the future.

 

Why we need Black History month...

I suppose it’s fair to say that, on Saturday, January 18^th, very  few households in America knew who Richard Sherman was or what he did for a living; but, on Sunday, the next day, it took exactly 34 seconds for Seahawk Cornerback Richard Sherman to become a household name (at least in households with ESPN). Having tipped a touchdown pass out of the hands of 49^ers rival, Michael Crabtree in the final moments of the game that would determine which team would advance to the Super Bowl, Sherman was asked by Fox Reporter Erin Andrews one of those innocuous “game over” questions that poses for breaking news in the NFL. Only Sherman didn’t respond with one of those innocuous answers which distribute praise to those on and off the field. Rather he did what any one of us would do when overcome by the stress and pressure of high expectations, an undoubtedly over-the-top endorphin rush and, I suppose, more than a little exhaustion - he threw a tantrum.  Only when any one of us throws a tantrum, it’s highly unlikely that there will be a camera and a microphone to record the scene for endless views on YouTube.  

Within the NFL Richard Sherman is viewed as, perhaps, the up-and-coming young Cornerback.  He is also known as the NFL’s bad boy du jour - or more precisely - as the League’s resident “trash talker.” He is, of course, the most recent in a long line of trash talking NFL players.  What makes this particular incident noteworthy isn’t what Sherman said in those 34 seconds but what was said (or more precisely, posted and/or tweeted) about what he said…and it wasn’t pretty. Within a mere 24 hours, the Internet was pulsating with anti-Sherman remarks; some so vile and degrading that it felt as if the Nation had been transported back in time to the ante-bellum South. One particularly troubling Tweet that was picked up by the news aggregators asserted:

Someone needs to introduce Richard Sherman to George Zimmerman.

From my perspective, there can be no sugar-coating the dark intent of this message - which not only conflates two unrelated, if equally race-laden, situations with the author’s obvious implication that Zimmerman had done society a favor. Richard Sherman’s response to these on-line race-inflected taunts was haunting in its simplicity:

"I thought society had moved past that."

How ironic, then, that the tantrum and its race-infused backlash occurred over the course of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The irony, however, isn’t limited to these two overlapping events; but to the holiday itself.  Only students of history will necessarily remember that it took over 15 years, nine million signatures on two different petitions and a House defeat (by 5 votes) in 1979, before Congress finally passed a Bill authorizing a Federal holiday honoring Dr. King. At the time, only 27 states and the District of Columbia implemented the holiday and it wasn’t until 1992 that Arizona adopted it.  The last state to adopt the holiday - South Carolina - did so in 2000, the same year it permanently lowered the Confederate flag from its statehouse dome.

            February is Black History Month. Since 1976 every US President has issued a proclamation acknowledging its significance.  Many schools devote whole weeks to the study of race relations and African-American issues. So, when I asked my Mentor Class whether we still needed a Black History Month, I took note of their lack of concern (interest?) in the topic - this took place before Sherman’s MLK tantrum and backlash. In that conversation, I came to realize that, for today’s young people, Black History Month is exactly that - history; not something that necessarily touches their present situation - as opposed to those of us past a certain age who remember the marches, lunch counter sit-ins and Birmingham Sheriff Bull Connor’s water cannons blasting away at protesting men, women and children.

            Our society may have moved past the physical violence prevalent in the South during the Civil Rights era (and in the North during court-mandated school desegregation plans in the 1970’s); but this year’s Martin Luther King weekend will be remembered for the intellectual violence that spewed veiled and not-so veiled racial vitriol across the Internet in response to a testosterone-fueled tantrum by a young African-American athlete.

Boston Globe Columnist, Christopher Gasper, got it right, I think, when he wrote:

The real loud and clear statement made by Sherman’s post game comments is that stereotyping African-American males is still an American pastime.

The events of January 19/20, when Richard Sherman became a household name in ways that proved to be unbelievably unattractive, suggest that society hasn’t gotten past it’s fixation on race. Our young people still need to care about the polarizing effects of racial animosity.

 

I think it will be quite awhile before the imperative behind Black History Month will no longer be necessary.

Honor, Courage, Commitment

            I found myself choking up a bit during our recent Veteran’s Day Assembly; which was odd, for me, as this “Army Brat” was raised to have a stiff upper lip and a mandate to conceal one’s emotions at all times. There were three distinct moments in the Assembly where I realized that even cynical New Yorkers can discover that they are proud of their country and their fellow citizens. The first moment - believe it or not - occurred when our Advanced Band and Chorus performed a magnificent rendition of the National Anthem. An over sized American Flag was projected on two 20 foot screens as 800 Lasallians stood and tacitly acknowledged the patriotic values that are enshrined in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights; as well as the importance of their protection, which was symbolized by the presence of nearly 20 Alumni Veterans standing at attention in the Duffy Lewis Gymnasium.

La Salle alums & staff who serve/have served in the Nation's Armed Forces

The second emotional moment occurred during that portion of the ceremony in which photographs of every alum who had ever served in the Armed Forces were being projected on the two giant screens facing the assembled students and which ended with a tribute to deceased Lasallian vets and the introduction of those alum vets who were in attendance that morning. Not surprisingly, our students were wonderfully appreciative of their presence that morning and spontaneously gave them a standing ovation. My emotion emerged out of two dynamics which were subtly present during this part of the ceremony.  The first was a function of the substantial number of alumni from the Sixties whose photographs flashed across the screens - reminding me - as is only possible for adults belonging to a certain age demographic - how much unintended havoc the Vietnam War imposed upon one generation of adults, - and which lingers even to this day. The second dynamic was the spontaneous - and supportive - reaction of our students to the service of their alumni forebears. The “received wisdom” of media pundits and commentators is that today’s adolescents are more or less self-absorbed, unconcerned about wider social issues and focused almost exclusively on material advancement. And yet, here were 700 teenagers leaping to their feet to acknowledge the service of those Lasallians who had gone before them, and who had dutifully accepted the possibility of paying the ultimate price to defend our shared freedoms. In that emotional moment, I realized how profoundly transformative is La Salle’s Mission to Nurture - Inspire - Challenge - Motivate the students entrusted to our care. In ways that we adults can only dimly appreciate, they get the significance of the contribution their alumni forebears gave to serve, protect and defend their country. They may not appreciate the emotional consequences of that service; but the spontaneity of their standing ovation persuades me that they are internalizing the School’s motto to Learn - Serve - Lead.

            My final emotional moment was in response to the background music that was being provided by our Advanced Band as the photographs of La Salle alums who had served in the Armed Forces were being displayed on the giant screens facing the assembled students. Megan Foley, faculty member in charge of the Instrumental Music Program, had arranged a medley of patriotic songs which the Advanced Band (and, at particular moments, the newly formed String Ensemble) executed with a seamless effort one would ordinarily associate with professional musicians.  As I marveled at their successful negotiation of a variety of key and tempo shifts, it suddenly occurred to me that these are teenagers who are executing this enormously challenging arrangement of patriotic music. And, it was at that moment that I realized this is why, fifteen years after arriving at La Salle, I am fortunate enough to be the School’s “Salesman-in-Chief.” The “magic” our faculty perform on a daily basis in support of the students entrusted to our care is not just phenomenal, it is real and transformative. 

And, it was on display at our Veterans Day Assembly - but not just there. Back-to-back League championships in Varsity Football and four consecutive League championships in Varsity Girls Volleyball, not to mention a national recognition for the Cheer Program and increasingly higher rankings for Mock Trial demonstrates that not only is the Mission of La Salle High School alive and well, it is thriving, in no small part, because of your commitment to the values of nurturing, inspiring, challenging and motivating the students entrusted to our care.

A Pay It Forward Twist...

            You may remember the 2000 release of the film Pay It Forward. It featured an “A-List” cast that included Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Jon Bon Jovi, Angie Dickinson and child actor (and Flintridge Prep student) Haley Joel Osment. The reviews of the film were mixed - primarily due to its emotionally manipulative plot and the untimely death (at the end of the film) of Osment’s character, Middle School student Trevor McKinney (sorry, “Spoiler Alert”).  Nevertheless, it had a respectable Box Office performance (#4 on its opening weekend) and has achieved an impressive DVD following - especially among Religion teachers (myself included) - who recognized its inherent reinforcement of Gospel values.

The pay it forward principle has percolated at the edges of the American literary scene at least since 1916 when the phrase may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book, In the Garden of Delight, as a term for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor. According to some sources, the concept is old, dating at least to Benjamin Franklin who, in 1784, used the concept to explain to an acquaintance why he should not repay the loan Franklin had given him, but to offer a similar loan to someone who would need similar assistance. The pay it forward concept has since evolved into a national foundation of the same name whose mission is to promote the notion that the one who is the recipient of a charitable act should be motivated to offer a similar act of charity to unknown persons in need of a similar benefit.

I recently had occasion to reflect on the pay it forward principle as I was stuck in traffic on the 110, having just returned from a visit to Transfiguration Catholic School, on the edge of Exposition Park, where La Salle’s Director of Bands Megan Foley and I had just delivered a supply of drums as well as a Vibraphone and an electric keyboard. The struggling, inner-city school had come to my attention last summer when I read an article in the Archdiocesan newspaper, The Tidings, which reported that the School had recently developed an instrumental music program as a way to attract students from the public sector who were experiencing a rapidly shrinking set of opportunities to pursue their passion in the visual and performing arts.

Having just concluded a highly successful Regents Campaign for the Arts, that, among other goals, had enabled the School to replace a variety of aging musical instruments used in our well-regarded concert band, jazz band and drum line programs; it occurred to me that Transfiguration School might have a use for these gently used instruments. I contacted the principal, who was pleased to receive this unexpected largesse and off to Exposition Park, we went.

I must admit there was a bit of an ulterior motive to my decision to reach out to Transfiguration School.  As an institution sponsored by the Christian Brothers, La Salle actively seeks out Mission-appropriate students who attend inner-city Catholic elementary schools and who require substantial tuition assistance in order to take advantage of our college preparatory program. It occurred to me that an inner-city Catholic elementary school, with an emerging focus on instrumental music, would be a great fit for us. It did not, however, occur to me that my effort to pay it forward would be utterly transformed by my visit to this amazing sanctuary of safety, Catholic ideals and robust commitment to the transformation of lives in a blighted neighborhood. When Megan and I arrived at Transfiguration School the principal had arranged for us to visit their band room where the Music teacher presented a sample of the School’s instrumental curriculum. We experienced third through eighth graders performing Christmas Carols on a variety of instruments, an amazingly talented sixth grader on piano, a rousing drum line (memo to the file: these aspiring musicians would make great candidates for La Salle’s drum line) and an African instrumental group that stunned me in their discipline and  commitment to musical excellence.

On our departure, the principal, music teacher and coordinator of the School’s marketing and development effort profusely thanked us for our generosity to their instrumental program.  The music teacher, an enormously talented young man, noted that he was probably going to cry after we departed, as he tried to find room for the instruments that we had left behind.

Here’s the kicker: when I arrived at Transfiguration School, I thought La Salle was paying it forward by donating our excess musical instruments to a worthy Catholic inner-city elementary school. By the time I left, a little over two hours later, I realized they had paid it backward by teaching me that it doesn’t matter how many or few resources you have, a commitment to the Mission and an unshakeable conviction that belief in the students entrusted to your care can produce miracles - in Pasadena and in the inner-city - is far more powerful than the resources we take for granted, or are suddenly, and unexpectedly, provided by someone we never met before.

I left the adults of Transfiguration School that day humbled by their amazing commitment to children - who don’t know what they can achieve on their own - and encouraged by their unassuming belief that music can create possibilities we take for granted. Not a bad lesson on paying it forward for this comfortable middle aged adult to reflect on during this season of gift giving.

 

 

Put not your trust in princes...

One World Trade Center is almost complete. Current projections indicate that the building will be ready for occupancy in the Spring of 2014. Slightly more than half of its three million square feet of office space has already been leased, with the magazine publishing giant, Condé Nast, accounting for 1.2 million square feet of occupancy. The building will support 104 stories (the original, 1973 Twin Towers supported 110 stories) and top out at a symbolic 1,776 vertical feet.

            I remember when the original Twin Towers opened for business in 1973.  I was a freshman at Fordham University, in the Bronx, where, on a clear day, you could see the World Trade Center from the roof of Keating Hall, the tallest building (at that time) on the campus.  I also remember the mix of excitement and criticism the Twin Towers generated.  At the time, they were the tallest buildings in the world (and would continue to hold the distinction of being the tallest buildings in New York - New Yorkers never cared about what was going on in Chicago - until their destruction in 2011).  And while their architectural and engineering advances inspired universal admiration (there wasn’t a single interior column - excepting elevator shafts - anywhere in their slightly more than 40,000 square feet per story floor plan), New Yorkers dismissed the Towers’ nod to the brutal modernism of Le Corbusier as “boxy” and uninspiring. Over time, we grew used to the Twin Towers and, while they never generated the same kind of warm appreciation New Yorkers had for the Empire State Building as an iconic example of the New York skyline, they nevertheless became part of the City’s taken-for-granted landscape as generators of tourists’ interest (and dollars).  That is, of course, until September 11, 2001.  In the ninety minutes it took both towers to collapse in on themselves, creating a mountain of debris and a new moniker (“Ground Zero”), they were transformed into beloved icons of New Yorkers resident within the city limits and among its Diaspora (I am a member of the latter category).

            As a New York expat, I am particularly amenable to this revisionist characterization of the World Trade Center because of three poignant connections I have to the Twin Towers.  The first connection took place on February 25, 1993, the day before the first terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center.  At just about the time the bomb-laden van exploded in the underground parking structure on February 26^th (the next day), I was passing through the World Trade Center as I transferred from a New Jersey PATH train to a NYC bound “A” Subway train. When I awoke the day of the bombing to learn that “timing is everything,” I realized that - like it or not - the Twin Towers loomed large in my personal corner of the world.  The next two connections are irrevocably linked to the 9/11 tragedy. Two of my former students - one a stock broker working in the North Tower - the other an FDNY firefighter - lost their lives in the collapse of the towers. The third connection to the tragedy is my brother who still works in the Office of Management and Budget at New York City Hall - a mere three blocks from Ground Zero - and who I could not get in touch with until late in the evening (PST) on 9/11.

            So, it should not be surprising that 9/11 is a moment in time for me that is as familiar as my own birthday. Like most current and former New Yorkers, the anticipation of 9/11 is a complicated matter. New Yorkers view themselves as invincible. 9/11 puts the lie to that conceit. Yet, the almost magical appearance at Ground Zero of twin beams of bluish light piercing the stratosphere on the evening of 9/11 for each of the last 12 years inspires a certain respect for the hand of God that is hard to explain to anyone not of New York. I have only seen the twin beams of light in pictures.  The New Yorker in me yearns to return on this awful anniversary to the City that formed me in order to share in the lights’ symbolic message that we can never know what will happen next, other than to trust in a God who knows what the endgame looks like and who gently invites us to trust in this ethereal vision. Not an easy proposition for New Yorkers - even expats - to embrace.

            I am writing this column on 9/11/2013, so forgive me for these New York-centric ruminations. However, I think they have merit, if you flip through the Summer issue of Lancer Magazine.  It's our annual issue in which we celebrate the accomplishments of our recently launched alums of the Class of 2013. The one cliché that is always true for them (and for every high school graduate) is that they have the whole world in front of them.  At 18 they see themselves as invincible as the most cynical New Yorker of any age.  They will learn, over time, as we all have, that invincibility is as fragile as the morning fog.  We can neither alert them to this reality nor cushion their hard landing when they refuse to accept its inevitability. What we can do - and what 9/11 teaches us - is that, in the face of inexplicable - and unpredictable - life shattering events we must turn to a higher power - for Lasallians, that is God - who will assure us that we must not put “our trust in princes,” but in a Lord whose comfort is unconditional and available the moment we ask for it.

What do you do when the Government shuts down?

On Friday, October 11^th, I was flying into Oakland Airport to attend the inauguration of the first lay president of Saint Mary’s College (Saint Mary’s is one of five Lasallian colleges and universities in the United States). I had forgotten to take my belt off as I passed through Security (don’t you just hate that?) and was flagged aside for a “pat down.” I don’t remember how the conversation with the TSA Agent started, but the gist of the encounter centered on this exchange:

Security:          “We’re taking it on the chin for the government shutdown.”
RG:                     How so, aren’t you an ‘essential service’ of the Federal Government?Security:          “Yes, but that doesn’t mean they have to pay us.”

That brief exchange caused me to spend the hour flight back to Burbank pondering the significance of what that Federal employee had said.  Consequently, when I got home, I Googled “TSA” salaries and discovered that the young man I had been speaking to earned somewhere between $22,800 and $35,600. At that point - Day 11 of the Shutdown -- no one knew when - or if - the shutdown would end. That’s when it dawned on me that this 20-something Federal employee had a real problem.  If the shutdown lasted longer than one pay period, there was the real possibility that he couldn’t pay many - if not most - of the monthly bills waiting for him in tomorrow’s mailbox.  Then, I thought, well, maybe he’s married. Assuming that his wife earned a salary at the upper end of his pay scale, what if she added another $35,000 to the household income? Then, I asked myself, what if they had children?  Well, according to the California Department of Health Care Services, a family of four, earning a household income of $70,000 puts them at 300% of the Federal Poverty level. By way of comparison: if their household income was $58,000 (or 250% of the Federal Poverty level), their children would be eligible for Medi-Cal (California’s version of Medicaid, the Federal Government’s poverty-level health insurance program).

His situation is one many of our families face on a regular basis.  Between the trailing effects of the Great Recession and the “Sequester,” more than a few of our two-income families have faced the awful question of sacrificing tuition for the monthly bills that won’t go away simply because household financial circumstances have changed.  This is why La Salle’s financial aid budget has practically doubled in the five years since the Great Recession has worked its way through the Nation’s economy.

I’m particularly sensitive to the plight of this particular TSA Agent because I think his predicament mirrors the challenges many two-income households face in this bizarre era of government paralysis, economic stagnation and punitive fiscal decisions masquerading themselves as public policy. Robert Packard, our CFO, can attest to the fact that a steady stream of middle-income families, stung by the effects of the Great Recession (and now by the Sequester and the Government Shutdown), have come to him seeking relief from the economic forces they can’t control - all for the simple purpose of keeping their children enrolled at La Salle. I am sad to note that their plight isn’t a function of a federal government that willed a shutdown into existence, ignoring the plight of the hapless TSA Agent I encountered on October 11^th; rather, their situation is a function of decades-long policies which have ignored the cumulative impact on Middle Class households who live pay check to pay check and don’t know how to respond to cataclysmic events which, through no fault of their own, threaten their homes, their families and their livelihoods.

For me, this is the great tragedy of the Sequester and the Government Shutdown: politicians so intent on proving they’re right ignore the very real effects their political strategy has on working households. Thankfully, La Salle is in a position to provide the additional financial aid necessary (so far) to support our middle income families who require both spouses to be employed in order to afford some portion of our tuition. But, I have to ask: what about that TSA Agent who barely makes ends meet - what hope does he have to ensure that his children will inherit a better life than the one he received? More importantly, in this - unnecessary - political imbroglio, is anyone asking these questions?  It doesn’t matter whether one agrees or disagrees with how our government spends our hard-earned tax dollars; I ask one simple question: should hard working people - like us - who, through no fault of their own, suffer because our politicians can’t - or won’t - compromise?

I’d like to think the answer is obvious.  I’m not sure my TSA Agent would agree.

Are books the wave of the future?

           

The City of San Diego opened it’s new, nine-story, $189 million dollar library last weekend. It took them over thirty years to bring the project into existence.  Some wags note, rather cynically, that San Diegans had more pressing priorities - like building a light-rail line and a downtown Baseball stadium.  Regardless of motivation, the magnificent structure, complete with a three-story atrium offering spectacular views of San Diego Bay, is open for business and, apparently, well worth the wait.

            In addition to state-of-the-art technology, San Diego’s new library will accommodate 1.2 million books. Wait a minute…haven’t we been barraged by the (mis)perception that books are a thing of the past in the 21^st Century?  In fact, are libraries even necessary? La Salle Librarian, Delia Swanner answers the latter question with a resounding yes! She quotes the American Association of School Librarians 2009 position statement: "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs":

1. Mission
The mission of the school library program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information; students are empowered to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.

2. Collaboration
The school library program promotes collaboration among members of the learning community, and encourages learners to be independent lifelong users and producers of ideas and information.

3. Reading
The school library program promotes reading as a foundational skill for learning, personal growth, and enjoyment.

4. Multiple Literacies
The school library program provides instruction that addresses multiple literacies, including information literacy, media literacy, visual literacy, and technology literacy.

One only has to walk through the Blakeslee Library at lunch (especially around Finals week) to encounter a room filled with students using the space for what it was intended: to study, to work on a project, to do research, to get a leg up on tomorrow’s assignments, and, most important of all - to ask for help.  But that’s not all.  While it should not be a surprise to learn that the student presence in the Blakeslee Library after school plummets (although never to zero), the monthly after-school Café Biblioteque (a “coffee house” featuring guest speakers/entertainers and/or original student work such as poetry) tends to draw better than three dozen students from every grade level. Interestingly enough, the single largest attendance at Café Biblioteque was last December when 70 students helped create Christmas greeting cards for teenagers who were spending the holidays in Juvenile Hall.

Even so, traditional uses of a library like La Salle’s continue to frustrate the predictions of 21^st Century prognosticators. The Blakeslee Library witnessed an annual door count of 18,420 (this is an increase of 23% over the prior year) and an average of 18 class visits per month. 728 books were checked out for research purposes.  This represents a 34% increase over the prior year.  In support of this, more proactive view of libraries, Luis Herrera, the City Librarian of San Francisco, offers a compelling argument for the continued need for libraries:

Libraries are more relevant than ever. They are a place for personal growth and reinvention, a place for help in navigating the information age, a gathering place for civic and cultural engagement and a trusted place for preserving culture.

So, while libraries will undoubtedly survive the “Age of Technology,” it is not at all clear that books in print will survive the duration of the 21^st Century. According to one study, however, less than 10% of the world’s books in print have been digitized, suggesting that they will be around for the duration of our lifetime and the lifetime of the so-called “Millennials.”  And, as the inevitable shift to electronic media drives current library users to a computer portal, books in print must be preserved, no longer because they are the primary source of research information, but because they represent an essential component of intellectual inquiry that won’t be electronically replaced anytime soon.

            Meanwhile, magnificent buildings like San Diego’s new Central Library, remind us of our aspirations to know more about our world and its story through the fundamental task of sitting quietly with a book in our hands.