"Let's go out for lunch" This phrase is uttered about once a week in the Local History Collection. We see it as our sacred duty to sample all the restaurants within a ten mile radius of the Philip S. Miller Library in Castle Rock. We visit restaurants not only because we like to eat, but also because the variety of food that is available is a reflection of life in Douglas County.

It is our oldest social structure. It predates religion. It has survived the concerted attacks of various political experiments. It is the family -- father, mother, and children -- and it endures, at least in part, because it is wired right into our DNA.

To the popular mind, the public library has a pretty clear role: the library is a place that collects "library materials" (mostly books), organizes and lends these materials, and provides space for people either to read or to meet as a community.