You might not can judge a book by its cover, but you can surely judge a community by its library.

And, by that rule of thumb, Selma is tops.

A library should be the hub of activity in a community. Sure. It is supposed to offer books and items of research for kids working on projects and people who want to explore different topics.

But in these days of “wall-less” libraries, the institution has to offer more.

The Selma-Dallas County Public Library makes the most of its resources by offering tons of good books, and it encourages reading. Believe you me, reading for enjoyment has suffered in this time of computers, televisions and portable DVD players. We seem to have forgotten the joy of letting our imaginations work as we dive into a good book.

So, the library offers the Book Bunch – a group of people who gather to discuss the books they’ve read and to recommend others.

Then, there’s Hobby in the Lobby where folks share what they do with arts and crafts.

Heck, just go through and look at the walls. You’ll see the works of some of our many local artists. It’s great to see what talent we have here.

And then there’s Lunch at the Library with interesting guest and good food to boot.

What more could one ask from a building filled with books?