Libraries as Anti-Depressants?

I subscribe to Hold This Thought, a daily blog/podcast featuring quotes from books that have touched various people. According to their about page, Hold This Thought was started through grants from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

I think the blog features great books and great thoughts nearly every day, but I am highlighting the July 15, 2008 episode because libraries are all about lifelong learning. In this episode, Wayne Mergler shares this quote from the Once and Future King:

"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn..."is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then -- to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you."

And what better place for people to learn at their local library? So the next time you're feeling blue or overwhelmed by life, try learning something new at the library. But if you feel down for more than two weeks or have some of the symptoms from the Medline Plus article on Depression at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/depression.html, consider getting professional help.