Libraries Matter
L. C. Atencio’s works can be found at The New York Public Library, The Library of Congress, Godwin Memorial Library, Harold Washington College Library, The Libraries Annex, Biblioteka Narodowa, and many other libraries, as well as libraries inside universities and colleges, including amongst others Harvard University, Yale University, University of Rochester, University at Buffalo, Indiana Wesleyan University, Front Range Community College, University of Central Florida, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Central Michigan University, Keene State College, NY University, University of California, Los Angeles, Princeton University, Cornell University, Bevill State Community College, Darton State College, Blue Ridge Community College, Tidewater Community College, Dakota County Technical College, Valencia College, Jackson Community College, Centralia College, Pearl River Community College, Hinds Community College, Columbus State Community College, Wheaton College, Seminole State College of Florida, Southeastern Community College, Northeast State Community College, Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College, USC Lancaster, Shawnee State University, Aquinas College, Nashville State Community College, Ohio University, Sinclair Community College, Clark State College, York Technical College, University of North Georgia, Dalton State College, Georgia State University, Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Gordon State College, Williamsburg Technical College, Maysville Community and Technical College, Gadsden State Community College, Calhoun Community College, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Central Alabama Community College, Edgecombe Community College, Halifax Community College, Owensboro Community and Technical College, Albany State University, Madisonville Community College, Sinclair Community College, South Georgia State College, Roanoke-Chowan Community College, Belmont College, Valdosta State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Laurel Ridge Community College, University of Indianapolis, Wabash Valley College, West Kentucky Community & Technical College, Marian University, Frontier Community College, Olney Central College, Mississippi State University, John A. Logan College, East Mississippi Community College, Anne Arundel Community College, St. Johns River State College, Northwest Florida State College, Washtenaw Community College, Wayne County Community College, Arkansas State University, Rosemont College, Kellogg Community College, Jamestown Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Oakland Community College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Hinds Community College, Saint Clair County Community College, Manor College, Polk State College, Bucks County Community College, Hillsborough College, Luzerne County Community College, University of Arkansas, Kishwaukee College, Raritan Valley Community College, Keystone College, South Florida State College, Muskegon Community College, John Wood Community College, Indian River State College, Hudson County Community College, Berkeley College, Crowder College, Hudson Valley Community College, Des Moines Area Community College, Bay College Library, Landmark College, Bristol Community College, North Iowa Area Community College, Lakeland College, Marshall University, Cape Cod Community College, North Shore Community College, Dallas College, Rose State College, San Jacinto College, University of Southern Maine, Lone Star College, South Central College, White Mountains Community College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Minnesota West Community & Technical College, Minnesota North College, San Antonio College, Pueblo Community College, Eastern New Mexico University, Utah State University, Spokane Falls Community College, Columbia Basin College, Folsom Lake College, and The New Mexico State University.
Leandro Atencio
L. C. Atencio Studios
June 23, 2017
Libraries Matter
Unfortunately, some people have grown up without truly experiencing the wonderful joys and benefits of a library, hence their lack of care or appreciation for them. I’m here to speak about why I value libraries so much and why I think you should, too.
As a young adult, facing the threat of homelessness, poverty, and limited English proficiency, the library became my refuge. The library was the place that gave me the resources and tools to obtain the education I needed to learn the basics of life, from language to having the physical skills I needed to stay afloat. Librarians have always been the kindest and nicest people I have ever come across, often lending a hand or tips that have steered me in the right direction — something I’m eternally grateful for.
A lot of people don’t realize that libraries are actually a lot more than just a place with books. Sure, the books have given me refuge and education in a world that felt at times uninhabitable, but there are many other resources at the library that helped me get my life together. At the library, I took actual computer classes, job-hunting/career development lessons, and even physical workout instructions, which provided me the guidance I needed at the time. The library was the place where I learned English phonetics and yoga. This was also the place where I participated in numerous writing workshops, all of which improved my vocabulary, which was needed to secure my employment, which, in turn, led to me having a roof over my head. So, as you can see, libraries are a lot more than just books.
The library setting itself also helped me socially, connecting me with people who became my friends, opening myself up to new cultures and experiences while having a sense of security and stability, which the library walls provided.
The more one works in the art industry, the more one comes to realize how special librarians actually are. They are there to support our growth in knowledge and intellect, but they can also flip the coin and help us with guiding our eyes according to our tastes, as they give us book recommendations so that we can be simply enchanted and/or entertained by potentially our favorite book of all time (unbeknownst to us at the time of asking for a suggestion).
I feel like it is our civic duty to do our part to make sure that we support our local library. Wherever you are in the world, I encourage you to support your local library by volunteering for it, donating books you no longer read, buying books from it when it has some for sale, and doing your best to keep the library clean and organized when you visit it. The library is like the heart of a city. This is the place where we can go as artists and feel safe — and there is nothing better than knowing we have a place in the world that can help us from falling down.
As an artist, I can express how acquainted I am with failure. Every single success I have had has been an event that occurred after many failures. We are all bound to fail before we succeed. So, I hope you now know how valuable libraries really are, because if one must fail, we might as well fail at the library, where we will receive a word of positivity, encouragement, and hope — something that is hard to find anywhere else in the world today.