Hank Long, a buddy of mine who happens to be the director of the Englewood Public Library, sent me a provocative trio of articles about reading.

After over half a century of life, study, intense social interaction, and careful thought, I have concluded ... that I don't know very much.

In my more optimistic moments, I think that might be good. Maybe I've finally UNlearned some things that were stopping me from seeing the world as it is.

In less optimistic moods, I think the truth is both simpler and scarier. The universe is a chaotic system. It CAN'T be understood.

But usually, I do think that learning is possible. I just don't think I'm a great example.

My wife does something that's very smart. When she starts to feel sick, she takes an herbal concoction designed to boost her immune system. As a result, she rarely GETS sick. She just starts to, then gets better.

My fundamental idea of librarianship has changed a lot over the years. I began with a simple love of books. Books did and do make me happy.

When I became a director, I focused on trying to understand the remarkably complex background of library operations. (Any business is complex when you really dig into it.)

As the leader of any organization must, I eventually re-focused on the process of securing sufficient resources to accomplish our plans. That required me to take a look at the larger context of the library environment.