91´«Ã½

129 miles from Page, Arizona, to the Flagstaff airport. I dropped Nikita and Leah and the gear at the terminal and went to get the rental van gassed up to drop off at rental return. Adding up all the point-to-point miles plus city driving plus that one time I had to go back to St. Louis because I forgot my laptop (the only real snafu–not bad for three weeks!), the total came to 4951 miles. This is a big country. We saw only a fraction of it.

91´«Ã½

We did our best to capture the stories of nine public libraries to add to the two we recorded earlier in my term. We have hours of interviews, b-roll, audio captured by the side of the highway. The task before us now is to distill this into a film that can tell the story of what American libraries contribute to the communities where all of us live and work, the places where we make our lives and dream of our shared futures. Some of that work is quotidian: Leah is organizing releases, I’m submitting receipts, Nikita is downloading and uploading, Flynn is attending to the budget. And we’ll all continue to give notes as Nikita completes edits and shares versions. We know how much care must be taken with what has been shared with us, how crucial it is that everyone everywhere knows who we are, why we matter, and how much support we need to make good on our mission. It is a profound responsibility. The work continues.

I flew from Flagstaff to San Diego for a few days rest before 91´«Ã½ Annual kicks off this week. Time with good friends who insist on fruits and vegetables, naps and ocean swims—well fed and well rested will be crucial for the coming days. The memories are already coming. Ed in Cranston, making sure we got enough sandwiches. Stuffed animal sleepovers with Christi in Rossville. Organizing for a better library in Columbia. Somehow getting lost on the five minute drive from Wendy’s to the library in Buffalo Creek. (I’m lost even when I have a map.) And the sunrises and sunsets over thousands of miles, each of them over cities, towns, and villages where life is better because the library is there. The honor and gift of many lifetimes. We can’t wait to share what we witnessed with the world.

Mileage: 4951 when you add it all up

Soundtrack: Goodbye, for now

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