Whoever is elected Illinois secretary of state in the fall — Democrat Alexi Giannoulias or Republican state Rep. Dan Brady — we hope the winner maintains the strong support for libraries exhibited by Jesse White, who is leaving the office after five terms.
Besides running more than 20 other departments, the secretary of state acts as Illinois’ chief librarian and state archivist. White is widely regarded as having used his position to champion libraries, readers, writers and lifelong learners at a time when access to dependable information is critically important.
