A library is
a keeper of stories.
     A keeper of memories.
          A keeper of hope.

Founded in 1893, the library at New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary collected the stories of Jewish people from around the world. These stories and the information preserved in this building were particularly precious because historically so many Jewish stories have been erased through war and suppression. The top level of the library’s tower caught fire in 1966, endangering the whole collection. Despite efforts to protect as many of the books as possible, water damage was catastrophic. Neighbors and strangers alike gathered “Operation Booklift” to hand over hand pass the books out of the ruined building. Many methods were tried to safely dry the books until volunteers finally found that repeatedly placing paper towels between every other page dried the books. Ultimately, 70,000 books were turned to ash, but 170,000 books were saved.

A Keeper of Stories is a reminder that even in times of devastation, when individuals work as a community, much can be saved. A library is a keeper of stories, but we are the keepers of stories too.