Sunday, February 21, 2021 1:00 am Libraries: Our civic citadels Libraries have always been among my favorite places. I relish the silent environment and shelves of books, the unlimited potential of what lies on the pages. In a library, patrons are not only expected, but encouraged, to be quiet and contemplative. I have been reprimanded, rightfully so, by watchful librarians when I mistakenly answer my ringing cellphone. The “public” aspect of a public library offers everyone – regardless of age, income, religion, gender or ethnicity – the same opportunity to sit, relax and enrich their mind by reading. Growing up in Defiance, Ohio, books were an escape from farm chores, a way to travel the world without leaving home. I loved visiting the stately stone library built on the site of Fort Defiance, with its cannon aimed at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers.