Library lectures need support to be real success

By now, most of us should have at least wandered around the remarkable new Salt Lake City Library on 400 South. The city was overdue to possess such an impressive facility and all the cultural and intellectual opportunities that go with it.

One of the most appreciated additions to the library's programming is the Dewey Lecture, given periodically through the year by an accomplished writer of national stature.

The Dewey Lecture made its debut in March 2003, with James Burke, a science historian and TV host, who discussed the links between science, history, social change and technology.

Since then, the library has hosted a number of renowned lecturers:

— In April, Kay Redfield Jamison, an international authority on mental illness, spoke of her research on, as well as her personal experience with, depression (her most recent books are "An Unquiet Mind" and "Night Falls Fast").

— In May, Terry Waite, a writer and hostage negotiator, spoke about his own experiences as a hostage in Iran (he wrote "Footfalls in Memory: Reflections from Solitude").

— In June, Julian Bond, a historic figure in civil-rights reform and chairman of the NAACP, spoke about civil rights (his book "A Time to Speak, A Time to Act" is a compelling work).

— Saturday's speaker was William Safire, a senior New York Times columnist and lexicographer who writes about American politics and culture, and the fascinating nuances of language (a Pulitzer Prize-winner, his most recent of many books is "No Uncertain Terms").

Here's the schedule for the rest of the year:

— Sept. 6: Oliver Sacks, world-renowned neurologist, humanist and best-selling author of a number of case studies (including "Awakenings," which became a popular film starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams).

— Oct. 11: Moshe Safdie, the Internationally acclaimed architect who designed the Salt Lake City Library.

— Nov. 1: Sherman Alexie, who was raised on the Spokane Indian Reservation, and whose collection of short stories, "Smoke Signals," was made into a film.

— Dec. 6: Pulitzer Prize-winner David Halberstam, one of the country's most prolific and diverse authors (his most recent book is "The Teammates;" he also wrote "The Best and the Brightest" and "The Fifties").