Chaos to Community

Do you feel like we are living in chaotic times? You are not alone. Our chaotic and out of control times came to mind recently while listening to Bob Dylan’s 1965 release, “Desolation Row,” which I recommend you revisit.

At its core, the song reflects a world that feels disordered, alienated, and unsettling. Sound familiar? Among the songs opening lyrics, Dylan writes, “They are selling postcards of the hanging…The Circus is in town. Here comes the blind commissioner…And the riot squad, they’re restless—they need somewhere to go.”

Listening to the song again, Dylan’s lyrics reminded me of today, capturing a feeling of hopelessness in a world that no longer makes sense. The song also prompted a question for me. Can a public library help create a sense of community in such times as these. By community, I mean a group of people connected by shared interests, values and experiences.

Based on my five years working with the Knox County Public Library’s circulation staff, my answer is yes, a library does enhance a sense of community. In fact, it is a leader in the community in achieving that.

While libraries are known for their abundant resources, such as books, it is the library’s role in bringing people together, creating community, which may be among its most valuable roles today. That’s based on my observation that during my lifetime, which spans 73 years, I do not recall a time of more chaos and division as today. That is incredible when you consider I lived through the turbulent 1960s, when “Desolation Row” was released, which included the Vietnam War, multiple political assassinations, and social upheaval.

Such disillusionment led a friend to ask me recently if I had hope for the future? My response is yes, I do have hope, and it is precisely because of what I see daily at our library. Patrons of the library develop many communities, some of their own initiative, and others resulting from the robust and diverse programs offered by the library. Examples include the library’s Carnegie Book Club, children’s programs, summer reading program, guest speaker events, and our ever-popular painting classes. Beyond the value of the programs themselves, such programs bring people together, where they often form connections with other people who share their interests. For instance, the library hosts space for the Knox County Seed Library, sponsored by volunteers who collect, package and make available to the public free vegetable and native plant seeds.

Building on such success may offer additional opportunities to help build community. R. David Lanke, (Professor and Director of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina) said: “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.”

For example, are there ways to offer expanded programming in performing arts, such as music, for both youngsters and adults? I always enjoy hearing enthusiastic singing coming from the Youth Department. So why not offer sing-along opportunities for adults too? Is there an audience for such programs? What about instruction in playing simple instruments? Wacey Robertson provides music instruction at the library for children. Instructors could also be found for adults.

In the words of Elton John, “Music has a healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” In that sense, he agrees with Henry Wadworth Longfellow who said, “Music is the universal language of mankind.”

There are two books I recommend, both available at the library, which outline in detail the value of music: “Music and Mind” by Renee Fleming, and “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord—Music as Medicine” by Daniel J. Levitin. Levitin emphasizes that “Music is primarily a means of emotional communication. When we listen to music in a group, social meaning is constructed with the others around us. This social meaning can be intensely impactful…the most powerful events many people experience. This social meaning also emerges when we listen with just one other person.”

Such connections with others locally may just be the answer to overcoming the “Desolation Row” that surrounds us outside our community.