Last month, our library once again acted as a polling location for a federal election. It is truly an honor to serve our community in this way, and we very much appreciate this opportunity. Every election, we get to welcome back those of you who don’t visit very often, answer questions about voting, and just do what we do while you serve out your civic duty. Nine hundred of you came in to fill out your ballots, many of whom took home some baked goods, presumably to stress-eat while awaiting the results that evening. Thank you, by the way, for purchasing said baked goods. The proceeds from that fundraiser go to support the Friends of the Library. And if you’re the one that took home my apple pie, let me know how it was!

Speaking of stress-eating upon seeing the results, there’s a very good chance that Tuesday did not have the outcome you had hoped for, and given that one party won a local race and another won a national race, I’d say there’s a 100% chance that you are disappointed with the results on some level.

Regardless of who you voted for, the library is there to help you deal with the next few years, just as we have been there to help our patrons for the last 120 years. Times get occasionally tough, but we stay the course, with an unbiased welcome to everyone. It doesn’t matter to us who you voted for, what you look like, where you come from, who you love, how much money you have, or what you believe in. We are here for you.

For those of you that are discouraged with the election results, this may come as no surprise from a librarian, but I encourage you to… read! If you’re worried about the potentially disenfranchised, read something written by a member of that group. If you’re worried about the future of democracy, read something historic, possibly about the transition from one form of government to another? Need to read something to escape? I recommend “Fiction.”

For those of you that are happy with the election results, we have the First Lady’s memoir, “Melania,” that’s been recently added to our collection, as well as countless books written from the conservative point of view. I also recommend “Fiction” to you all as well, because let’s face it - after months of political ads, it’s nice to just unwind with a good book.

Speaking of reading, last month I shared what I was reading in this column (“The Message” by Ta-Nehisi Coates), and if I continue to read actively, I’ll continue to share that information. Considering the new Coates book, here’s my full review: it contained three beautifully-written essays about writing, offering perspective into having his work challenged/banned, and provided a deeper understanding of the conflict in Israel/Gaza in detail from an outsider’s perspective looking in. I think the required reading by this author remains “Between the World and Me,” (one of his “banned” books), but Coates’ ability to communicate his own beliefs in this book - what shaped them and, more importantly, what changed them - is something we can all relate to.

Reading that book inspired me to read more challenged/banned books, and if I finish “The 1619 Project” next month I’ll tell you all about that too!

Until then, thank you all for voting, reading, and visiting the Hamilton Public Library.