This is an article that was (surprisingly) run in the Pensacola Independent in May 1999.
Suggested Reading List (this is only Scott's opinion. Everyone else would probably write a different list)
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Thursday, May 18, 2000
LIBRARY PROVES YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
Michelle Taveirne
The People's Library looks dog-eared on the outside. The paint is peeling, the front porch is rickety, the yard is dug up but the flowers have not yet been planted. In the backyard, a rusted bike rack sits with a sign, "Free For You." Dogs are roaming around, perhaps searching for food or just some attention.
But step inside the door and read the sign directing you to "Check your ego at the door," and you quickly see there is more to this place than its appearance suggests. An old couch sits to the right, a computer to the left. Posters with political statements line the walls, inviting a newcomer to sit and read for hours. People are milling about; some are sitting, others are reading. All are absorbed. Walk a little further and you will find the real treasure of The People's Library-a room filled with wall-to-wall books. One look at the shelf and it's apparent that the People's Library is not part of the West Florida Regional Library system. Though it has classics from Walker, Dahl and Dickens, The People's Library is stocked with information not often found elsewhere. "Our public library does not offer a lot of alternative literature, such as anarchist papers and anti-corporate literature," said Scott Satterwhite, a member of the CORE organization which established and maintains the library. "There's not a huge selection of radical thought."
The People's Library boasts the largest collection of independent journals and publications in the area.
CORE, which stands for Collective of Resource Empowerment, is a local organization that seeks ways to improve the standard of living for the underprivileged and to educate people about the world around them. The People's Library is just one of the many programs sponsored by the year-old group which is also involved in Bikes for Kids, Food Not Bombs and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal campaign.
Though the message the organization is trying to get out is current, it relies on old-fashioned principles, according to Satterwhite. Visitors will not find an elaborate check-out desk with bar-coded library cards and computers. Instead, this library favors pen, paper and good faith.
All books are either donated or purchased by the members of CORE, out of their own pockets. The goal of the library is to get information to citizens that may not otherwise be available to them.
"We hope that this library will fill the need we have, not just as activists, but as people. The public library can come across as the authoritative, end all of resources, but it does not always reflect the whole ideology," said Satterwhite.
With mainstream libraries struggling to find and then continue financial support, the general population and its needs are often given a higher priority than making alternative sources available. This equates to computers with the latest programs lining the walls, classes on how to use the Internet being offered, and constant restocking of the latest bestsellers. The demand for quick and efficient service has lead to library cards that, with one scan of the bar code, tell the librarians what books are due and how much the borrower owes.
In the midst of these technological advances, a return to the old-fashioned may be welcomed by some or, at least, offer a change of pace.
Though the People's Library has a regular clientele - usually those interested in the counter culture - everyone is welcome to use its services. Until just recently, the members of CORE offered a class on American history, based on the book " The People's History of the United States," by Howard Zinn.
"So much of history is rewritten by government officials and corporate leaders who don't want things told to the public," Satterwhite said. "Our class offered American history told from the perspective of the disenfranchised."
And, though each member of CORE has his or her own political thoughts and ideas, the purpose of the People's Library is not to influence, but to educate.
"We would like for them (visitors) to have an open mind," said Satterwhite. "The main goal is to empower people to think for themselves."
Besides books, The People's Library provides a place for people to meet and a room filled with free clothes. In the near future, it also hopes to offer computer access to provide more diversified resources.
The People's Library will be hosting a Women's Fest on May 26, featuring the visual and performing art, poetry and music of women.
The People's Library is open Monday - Thursday, 1- 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12-3 p.m. Hours are subject to change.
More information is available at 432-7067.
