Delve a little deeper at the public library

December is a month filled with holiday shopping, parties, family gatherings, travel, and anything else we can squeeze in. If you're game, I'd like to open your mind to an idea. This idea stems from the fact that the public library is not only a place to find entertainment through novels, DVDs, and Internet access, but a place that give you the tools to delve a little deeper.

Dec. 1 is the anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest for failing to give up her seat at the front of a bus and move to the back. I think most people are familiar with this story. I know that I learned about Rosa Parks in elementary school. She is one of the most prominent figures in the civil rights movement and is, in fact, known as "the first lady of the civil rights."

As I prepared for this column, I checked the library's catalog for resources addressing Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement. I was extremely proud to find that the Sweetwater County Library in Green River houses the most Rosa Parks resources of any library in the county.

This was a great source of pride for me. One of the oldest foundations of public libraries is that they are built upon a well-rounded collection – one that represents multiple viewpoints and can be counted upon to provide educational information concerning pivotal historical events and people.

Part of the Sweetwater County Library's mission is to provide materials that are reliable and current. I can testify to the fact that everyone at the Sweetwater County Library works very hard to ensure that the mission is accomplished. Seeing a number of diverse resources about Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement at the library reminds me of that.

Though I learned about Rosa Parks in elementary school, that which I learned was quite superficial and lacked the understanding and depth that comes with a more advanced age. The library in Green River provides a very good selection of nonfiction materials geared toward elementary school-aged kids and young adults. You can find a picture book about Rosa Parks containing only about 20 pages, or you can delve a little deeper and get your hands on a book boasting 100 pages or more.

One of the best ways a library can educate its patrons is by providing differing viewpoints concerning controversial or revolutionary subjects. Until I attended library school and enrolled in courses designed to turn me into the best librarian possible, I had no idea who Claudette Colvin was.

The book, "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice," by Phillip Hoose changed my entire perspective concerning Rosa Parks. I read this book in my "Social Justice in Children's and Young Adult Literature" class. Before I became acquainted with Claudette Colvin, I had no idea that Rosa Parks was not the first African American woman to refuse her seat to a white person.

That is the power of literature – and the power of the public library by extension.

After I finished Hoose's book, I had the chance to attend a book signing and reading with the author. It was a great experience. That was where I learned that Mr. Hoose met Claudette Colvin, interviewed her, and became friends with her. She did not share this story with many, and he considered himself extremely fortunate to be the one to publish Colvin's words.

I do not tell you this story to diminish the importance of Rosa Parks' actions. I tell you this story to stress the importance and power of literature, different viewpoints, and an inquisitive mind – all things that the library can house and nourish.

"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" is the recipient of the Robert F. Sibert Honor, the Newbery Honor, and the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2009. The Robert F. Sibert award honors the most distinguished informational book published for children, and the Newbery award honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

I ask you to remember not only Rosa Parks this month, but also Claudette Colvin and the many other civil rights activists whose stories have not been told. Visit the library and check out Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice if you can.

Or, if your mind is itching to find out more about a well-known event or person in history, I urge you to delve a little deeper. You might just uncover someone else's story.