Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives 2003-2004 Annual Report

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KDLA 2003-2004 Annual Report

From the Cabinet Secretary

I am happy to welcome you to another annual report from the staff of the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives. KDLA plays a vital role among our Education Cabinet agencies, and this is the story of its initiatives and accomplishments during 2003 – 2004.

Education Cabinet Secretary
Virginia G. Fox

I say that theirs is a “vital role,” because for every human interest, there are literally limitless resources available in any library. Libraries are the gateway to the Internet for citizens who have no computers in their homes and it makes learning accessible for persons of all ages and in every community, i.e., people with disabilities, remote rural, elderly, or persons without the means to acquire books. Bookmobiles even broaden that further. But, at the end of the day, the most critical function any agency can have is to promote and support literacy and that is one of the most exciting functions of KDLA.

KDLA is the keeper of all Kentucky’s records. Kentucky has such a rich heritage and KDLA keeps that alive for future generations through oral histories, archives, genealogical records and public records. It’s also exciting to see KDLA’s interest and activity in preserving digital images. This kind of forward thinking will continue to make libraries important resources in the future.

The public libraries partner with so many agencies - they are the ideal partners. They are a source of intellectual stimulation. They are a gateway to the Internet. The most important function is assembling, categorizing and making accessible and available the flood of information on every imaginable topic. As knowledge increases at an amazing rate, the agency that assembles it and organizes it and makes it user friendly is invaluable.

In an era of hoaxes, spam and disinformation, libraries are an important source of research and bibliographic sources of information you can trust.

I hope that you will find this report enlightening on many fronts. It provides ample illustration that KDLA is fulfilling its serious commitment: “Serving Kentucky’s Need to Know.”

Virginia G. Fox

Education Cabinet Secretary