Libraries are just as Important in our Digital World as they were 10-15 years ago.

“Public libraries are an essential part of a democracy. Funded by the community, they exist to provide equal access to information and enrichment to everyone in the community, regardless of age, income, education, or social status.” says Mary Graf, a librarian at Brownell Library in Essex Junction, Vermont.

Libraries are important cornerstones of a healthy community. Libraries give people the opportunity to find jobs, explore medical research, experience new ideas, get lost in wonderful stories, while at the same time providing a sense of place for gathering. Our libraries are a unique and valuable resource.

One library in particular has proven to be a unique and valuable resource in bringing their community together, the Cumberland RI Public Library. www.facebook.com/CumberlandLibrary

Cumberland Library recently hosted their 2nd fandom festival CumberCon 2019. The event is intended to bring together members from the community to share their pop culture interests. The event is a building-wide experience that is free and open to anyone who would like to attend.

They had comic book vendors, cosplayers, panel sessions, gaming and more. The many activities and fun events were:

• D&D 101 by Ben Grimes

• Star Wars Symposium

• Ghostbusters 101

• Superhero Academy

• Retro Video Gaming by One Up Games

• Coding for Video Games seminar

• Fan Fiction 101" The Attack of the Mary Sues by Sarah Hodge-Wetherbe

• Instant Cosplay Event where teams build a cosplay costume

• Great Cartoon Rewind

• Board Game Room

• Fandoms: Ghostbusters, Star Wars 501st Legion, Star Trek Starfleet International, Invisible Heroes of Tomorrow, SJ Wilson and Iron Man

• * Cars on Display: The Batmobile, Jurassic Park Explorer, Ghostbuster car and the Iron Man Kona

I was honored to donate my time as Iron Man to worthy cause of bring the community together and letting kids learn more about our Geek culture. Being a geek is a good thing.

Playing RPG games, video games and board games lets kids use their imagination, gets the socially active and builds an understanding about winning and losing - as well all know life is not all winning moments.

Cosplaying allows kids to explore different personas, they can identify with characters they love, experience different worlds and cultures, and express themselves in a world where they may feel misunderstood.

See you next year at CumberCon 2020!

Tiberius Stark

Elder Geek of the Geek Clan