2007年VOA标准英语-County Library Systems Reflect Free Press, Citi

By Jeffrey Young
Washington
08 May 2007
 

To most Americans, the governments in their towns and regional areas called counties are the governments they interact with the most. And alongside these local governments are groups of citizens who work on their own to make life better.

In this segment of a multi-part series, VOA's Jeffrey Young looks at how the government of Montgomery County in the eastern U.S. state of Maryland provides residents with a system of free libraries that citizens have an active voice in running.

Thousands and thousands of books, videos, and compact discs -- with free access! It is a window on the world, a place of learning, and a welcoming place.  It is the public library.

B. Parker Hamilton, the director of Montgomery County Public Libraries, said at the opening of the latest library, "It is the day that we will open the doors of this wonderful building and say 'Come in! We're open for business! And we're glad you are here’."

Montgomery County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., has opened its new, $26 million public library in its largest city, Rockville. The showplace facility is, as then-County Executive Douglas Duncan remarked at the dedication¹ ceremony, a place where every resident regardless of income or other status can find information and tools to better themselves.

"We have never wavered in our commitment to putting education and learning -- lifelong learning – first,” said Duncan. “You see it in our nationally recognized public school system, [in] our institutions of higher learning, and our public library system.  We continue that tradition today with the opening of this new library."

Montgomery County has 21 neighborhood libraries for its nearly one million residents.  More than half of those residents have a library card that they can use to check out materials.

Some of the library's collection and patrons

As one patron notes, the library system's vast book, periodical, and recording² collections – totaling nearly three million items – are in many languages besides English. "I see when I come here a lot of different ethnic³ people, internationals coming here and reading in their own language. I know they have, for instance, Chinese newspapers here, Korean newspapers, and Japanese, and so forth⁴. [And, they also have] Hispanic – Spanish – newspapers. Not only that, they have periodicals and they have some books in different languages as well."

And what might not be on hand in the library can be accessed through the Internet at many workstations throughout the system. 

The new facility in Rockville incorporates the latest technologies such as touch-screens for checking out books and other materials. There is even wireless⁵ Internet access for people's laptop computers. 

A visiting student says these features, and the user-friendly design of the library, have made it a most inviting⁶ place for study and more. "I just love the atmosphere in this place. That's the reason I am down here. I could do this work anywhere, but I like the atmosphere [here at the library].

Building the new Rockville facility took more than money. It also took, as U.S. Congressman⁷ Chris Van Hollen notes, the determination of Montgomery County residents to make it a reality.

"If it hadn't been for what we call the 'grass roots' [citizen organizing], the people at the local level, the citizens, taking it upon themselves to pressure their elected officials, to cajole their elected officials, this would not be here today. So this is really a collaboration⁸, this is democracy working at its best, at the local level," said the congressman.

And residents are also actively⁹ involved with Montgomery County's libraries through the Citizens Advisory¹⁰ Board.  Its chairperson, Lois Neuman, says this system helps to ensure that the public's needs are met. "The Citizens Advisory Board, a group of twelve people appointed by our county government, works with the citizens of the community to make recommendations about what books to purchase for citizen use."

The contents of Montgomery County's libraries reflect the American principle of a free press.  Some of the books and other materials in the library hold views that are different, even counter to, the views held by the government.  And the same holds true for public libraries across the United States.

Beyond the freedom that libraries hold and represent, they are also one of the best places to be on a gray, rainy day or a chilly¹¹ winter night.

1 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

6 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

9 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

10 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

11 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。