Ed Rouse getting his cows in for milking. Help family farms. Family farm notecards, the Redux Gallery, proceeds to farm aid.

Good news from some of the libraries I visited on the book tour:  With more than 90 per cent of Franklin County precincts reporting, more than 66 per cent of voters were approving a 2.8 mill property tax yesterday that Columbus, Ohio,  library officials say will restore operating hours, help buy new materials and expand literacy, jobs and children’s programs. After seven failed attempts, Southest Public Libraries persuaded 58 percent of voters in the Southwest City School District to support its first-ever public funding.

More good news. In Bainbridge, where Izzy and I went to talk at the library, a special library levy passed yesterday by 52.8 per cent, preserving the staff, hours and budgets of a great and valued library.

Make your own news. Support your local library. They are important, and ought not to be swept away while banks make obscene profits. Tax breaks aren’t only for the rich. Libraries are necessary for all us, a seminal part of the American experience. People understand that, I believe, when given the chance. I am proud and happy to share this experience with librarians, who love their work and do it faithfully.