窪蹋勛圖厙

Matt DeLaney
What if, in addition to loaning books, we started lending outdoor gear? (Photo: Aislinn Sarnacki/Bangor Daily News)
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Forces of Good: The Gearhead Librarian Who Revived a Town

Matt DeLaney

When you think of heroes in American culture, you probably conjure images of astronauts and Olympians, scientists and social activists, soldiers and … well, maybe the occasional politician. What you don’t picture are a group of dedicated, ingenious innovators who almost never get the credit they deserve: small-town librarians. Working with limited resources and a whole lot of spirit, they find the most creative ways to support their communities. In this installment of our Forces of Good series, we present the story of a very enterprising librarian who came to a struggling town in Maine and took action on a novel idea: What if, in addition to loaning books, we started lending outdoor gear?


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Follow the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Podcast

窪蹋勛圖厙s longstanding literary storytelling tradition comes to life in audio with features that will both entertain and inform listeners. We launched in March 2016 with our first series, Science of Survival, and have since expanded our show to offer a range of story formats, including reports from our correspondents in the field and interviews with the biggest figures in sports, adventure, and the outdoors.