Author Susan Orlean talks love of libraries at Sarasota event
Best-selling author Susan Orlean is the special guest for the ‘Love Our Libraries’ event presented by the Library Foundation for Sarasota County.
By Susan L. Rife — Published in the Feb. 5 issue of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
There’s much more to libraries than books, as any patron can tell you. They are de facto community centers, open to everyone and free, which made their closure during the pandemic even more jarring.
You can still get books and do some research, but they are generally closed to the crucial purpose of public gatherings.
“Libraries are often the one place that stays open when there’s a crisis. They serve as that touchstone of a community in many, many instances where there’s some dramatic upheaval,” said author Susan Orlean.
She should know. Her 2018 bestseller, “The Library Book,” focused on the unthinkable: the 1986 fire that destroyed much of the collection of the Los Angeles Central Library. In the course of researching the book, Orlean, a library patron since childhood, discovered the long and rich history of libraries in the United States and around the world.
Orlean will be “in town” for a virtual discussion with retired Herald-Tribune journalist Charlie Huisking on Feb. 9 in a free event sponsored by the Library Foundation for Sarasota County. The prerecorded event will be available for viewing for 30 days.
It’s part of a whirlwind of library foundation appearances, live and remote, that Orlean has done since “The Library Book” was published.