LUMOS

Harry Potter Book Night 2015 in Sitka, Alaska: This was my first public library, 5 months into my tenure. I had nothing to do with this monumental undertaking, other than dressing for the occasion in my Slytherin finest and welcoming the students to Platform 9 3/4. I didn’t know what to expect really, but I trusted Maite Lorente Rial, Youth Services Librarian & Earthbound angel, to organize and put on this show. I have never been happier to avoid spoilers. It was the single, most amazing community event I had ever been part of. What I didn’t know then, was how that event has helped change me.

Six months earlier, my wife and I touched down in Alaska for the first time, the day after my academic law library career had ended courtesy of politics, greed, mind control, betrayal, and a desire for new furniture (Hi Jafar!). I had lost my reasons for being over the prior decade: MY library, school, students, colleagues; profession, tenure, mission, friends, family. We didn’t know what would happen, where we would end up. It took us 3 days to find out.

There had been prior inklings, sure, but that night I knew I was in MY library again. The wizards, muggles, and owls working together that night showed me, and 12 months later I was cutting the ribbon at the most amazing Muggle community event I had been a part of.

Now, the uncertainty is back thanks to Ursula and spawn and their minions. Politics, greed, mind control, betrayal, and puppetry have led a coup against the very first MY library. I’ve lost another decade’s worth of memories, good feeling, colleagues, friends, family. I don’t have a magical island to escape to this time, but that’s ok. This time I have purpose and mission and direction and resolve.

My times at Hogwarts have reminded me of an important truth. Monsters attack. It’s what they do. But, Jafar, spawn, Ursula, and Dolores Umbridge weren’t victorious. Evil just started the fight. What it gets from that fight depends on who fights back and how hard. The truly righteous, the ones protecting those who can’t defend themselves, don’t back down. We may not always win the day, but the villains know they have been in a battle. Some are licking their wounds (allegedly) today. Loyalty and intelligence and courage and leadership are working together to expose wrongdoing and defeat it. Light exposes dark. LUMOS!!