A review of library literature affirms, even for the casual reader, the momentous changes occurring in library programs and services. The reasons are many, and enumerating them all is well beyond the scope of a short newsletter piece. There are, however, continuities that maintain the connection between the "new" functions and those that define long-standing core purposes. One of these was recently evoked while reading Isaiah Berlin's essay "Historical Inevitability." Succinctly stated, Berlin eschews determinism, the belief that our actions are predetermined by forces beyond our control, and conceives of humans as possessing free will, that is, capable of "pursuing ends, shaping their own and others' lives, feeling, imagining, creating in constant interaction and intercommunication with other human beings." Berlin may not have envisioned libraries as guardians of free will resources, but indeed that is one of our principal and immutable attributes. The resources needed for imagining and creating are clearly evident, be they books, databases, accessible from the internet or via a library-sponsored program. Less obvious perhaps but just as essential are the opportunities for direct interaction and communication with other people. As both are increasingly subject to mediation, be it by social media or text message, libraries provide opportunities for the direct communication and dialogue that are essential to understanding and individual growth and development. These are specific examples of how Otis Library serves as Norwich's de facto community center and as a forum for free and open access to, and opportunities for, the exchange of information and ideas.