[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13284-13285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 IN RECOGNITION OF THE B.B. COMER MEMORIAL LIBRARY, ON RECEIPT OF THE 
                  NATIONAL AWARD FOR LIBRARY SERVICES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB RILEY

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2000

  Mr. RILEY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and a sense of duty 
that I rise today to recognize one of the finest institutions in the 
State of Alabama, and in the United States.
  The National Institute of Museum and Library Services has established 
an annual Award for Library Services. In this, the first such year of 
this award, only four Libraries from across the United States have been 
selected. One of the Libraries chosen to receive this distinguished 
award is the B.B. Comer Memorial Library. This Library is located in 
one of the most viable, vibrant areas in East Central Alabama, a 
community known as the City of Sylacauga.
  The B.B. Comer Memorial Library is a product of the Great Depression 
in 1936. It has evolved from 250 donated books in the back room of a 
local bank to a free public library that serves parts of four counties 
and partners with over thirty organizations.
  Libraries are learning centers. They are places where families can 
seek and find vital information. They are the necessary centerpiece of 
any public educational system. They

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are a place where friends meet, greet, and engage in dialogue. 
Libraries address the educational, medical, and entertainment needs of 
the communities they serve.
  It is with a feeling of honor and pleasure that I stand here today 
and salute the B.B. Comer Memorial Library. I commend its director, Ms. 
Shirley Spears, for her dedicated service. I recognize the board 
members for the leadership they have provided. In addition, I want to 
tip my hat to the library staff and all the volunteers and thank each 
one of them for the job they have done. Sylacauga should be proud of 
what they have built. For what they have built is an award winning 
Library Institution.

                          ____________________