While driving to work this morning, I was listening to the PBS program on KUHF called "Engines of our Ingenuity." It is a program that focuses on human creativity. These interesting short vignettes are the product of John Lienhard, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and History at the University of Houston.

Today's program was entitled, "At the Museum," but it really could have been entitled, "At the Library." The program focused on an exhibit at the Houston Museum of Printing History of old books which had been the subject of many of Lienhard's programs. Professor Lienhard said:

"Invention flowed from independent people who absorbed information with little help from large educational infrastructures. So the exhibit is where two avenues of independent learning meet. Museums and books are places where we can learn on our own -- follow our own rhythm. There's rather little difference between a book and a museum when we bring our unanswered questions to either one."

It made me ask the question, "How many books do we have in the Pasadena libraries that may have inspired someone to invent something?" Do people still come to a library to seek answers to questions? Of course, our books may be only copies of the books used by those inventors of the past, but what if some of them are the actual books held by those individuals. Richard Newton read about mechanics and went on to fight for the abolition of slavery. Young Michael Faraday read a book on chemistry written for young people, and went on to set the foundations of theoretical electricity. What other books might have stimulated the spark of imagination in creating those useful inventions that impact our lives in so many ways? At the Pasadena libraries, we encourage people to come and to learn at their own pace and to follow their own rhythm. Whether scientific thought and experimentation or flights of fancy in the fiction sections - answers as well as thought provoking questions are found at the library.

The exhibit at the Houston Museum of Printing History was titled Ghosts in the Books. Some of the books on our shelves are donated to the library, or to the Friends of the Library, from the personal libraries of many people. They may have been in many other libraries before they got to us. Are some of these books the ones that motivated a reader to create a new idea, a new thought or an invention that impacts all of us today? Are their ghosts still haunting our books? If you bring an inquiring mind with you to the library, can you find the spark of invention in the books here which will lead to significant advancements for mankind? The only way you will know is if you browse through the library to find a book that calls out to you and that poses intriguing questions for you to answer.

Good luck on your quest... and please let us know if you find any ghosts in our books.

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May 11th is Election Day in Pasadena. It is important for all citizens to exercise their right to vote. Information on issues can be found at the Pasadena Libraries.

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Thomas C. Simiele

Library Director