By David W. Keeber |
Sedona Public Library
Sedona, AZ - Buried treasure. Everyone
would love to find some, but to do so often
requires digging. Gold, gems, jewelry, and more
are what usually enters our mind's eye when we
talk about treasure. It is often based on images
of pirate loot or what the conquistadors hauled
off back to Spain.
Gold doubloons and jewelry
are pretty obvious in their appearance, but gems
come in many different forms. I was recently
moving some items on storage shelves and came
across an example of gems that more people ought
to know about. The gems at Sedona Public Library
should excite anyone who is interested in
contributing their talents to the community.
For many years now, a local organization, The
Sedona Academy, has organized and presented the
Sedona Forum, an annual town hall meeting to
discuss issues considered pressing and whose solution
could well improve life here. Over the past few
years, the Sedona Forum has expanded to become
the Verde Valley Forum for Public Affairs due to
the members of the Academy realizing the value
of taking a regional approach to problem
solving. Topics examined included the national
forest, traffic, youth, aging, tourism, citizen
volunteerism, and much more.
The process of the Forums involved inviting a
cross section of the citizenry to spend a
weekend discussing the topic in four concurrent
panels, each seeking to develop consensus on a
series of questions posed to all. A preliminary
report that offered a thorough background
understanding of the topic was written and given
to each participant to bolster their
understanding. The Forums were multi-day affairs
that truly focused the participants' attention
on the subject.
The resulting answers were compiled into a final
report that stated the participant's collective
position and recommendations for action on the
topic. Given the carefully developed cross
section of the community who participated, the
final document offered a truly representative a
set of ideas and recommendations. As noted, the
Forum continues to this day, but on a regional
basis.
Often, when people come to Sedona, they are
seized by the spirit of volunteerism that is so
prevalent here and contribute their time and
talent in whichever way suits them. Some even
run for office. But, the challenge all face is
gaining an understanding of the history of our
community, especially as it relates to solving
our problems. It can take years and considerable
time and energy to gain an in-depth knowledge of
Sedona. Enter the buried treasure at Sedona
Public Library.
Over the history of the Sedona Forums and now
the Verde Valley Forums, the Library has
collected the preliminary and final reports
issued for each forum. These collected documents
offer one of the very best ways to understand
what we have faced over the past nearly two
decades and what solutions the community has
recommended. This knowledge would be almost
impossible to obtain in so comprehensive a
manner, but the treasure the Library possesses
offers that knowledge to anyone who wishes. All
one has to do is spend a bit of time reading
them.
Now that the election is over, this may seem
like a bit like "a day late and a dollar short,"
but the process of understanding one's community
never ends. Someone running for office would
probably be no better served than to read
through these documents thereby giving
themselves a true leg up on their opponents.
And, understanding history offers one of the
best antidotes to repeating the mistakes of the
past.
Come into the Library and ask for the Forum
reports, spend a bit of time perusing them and
come to know your town better. Buried treasure
can make more than one person rich.
Related article:
A tale of two
Sedonas
Past Library News issues:
Sedona Library Archive
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