Fight ignorance; love a librarian

Unlike the NFL, librarians understand that they've got a role of play as citizens of a community. They are living up to their reputation as reliable public servants.

The nation's librarians will be recruited to help people get signed up for insurance under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Up to 17,000 U.S. libraries will be part of the effort to get information and crucial computer time to the millions of uninsured Americans who need to get coverage under the law.

The undertaking will be announced Sunday in Chicago at the annual conference of the American Library Association, according to federal officials who released the information early to The Associated Press.

Deeper into the story, it becomes clear librarians take naturally to this project.

Lissa Staley, a librarian in Topeka, Kan., specializes in health information, and already is helping people figure out their insurance options.

"I talked to a woman this morning who said, `I'm a single mom. I make too much money to qualify for Medicaid and my employer will only let me work part time.' I gave her my card and we're going to sort through some of her options," Staley said.

"It's never just a straightforward question," Staley said. "It's always a life story and we help sort through the pieces of where we can help."

It's all about getting understandable information to people who need it. Our government often neglects this task -- thank goodness there are many people who instinctively understand that our commitment to inform each other is part of what keeps us going.