Poetry and music merge

Another reminder of how the arts and popular culture intertwine has come out in a book called Hip Hop Speaks to Children, which combines hip hop lyrics and poetry from the past to offer children "poetry with a beat". The barriers between the high culture of the library and the everyday culture of the streets continue to come down. Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes seem at home among their young descendants of the hip-hop era and many children (and their parents) may be happy to learn they've been hearing poetry all along as they listen to their favorite songs. Although some in the media still view the library as a citadel remote from daily life, increasingly the energy of popular culture is being welcomed and reflected back to children at the same time that librarians introduce them to the vibrant worlds of the past. The value of libraries lies in their universality and the easy mingling of cultures and ideas from all times, all places, and all peoples.