One of Hollywood's more intriguing characters is the lead in the movie "Phenomenon." Exposed to a mysterious flash of light on the night of his 37th birthday, John Travolta's ordinary, average guy suddenly acquires a ravenous yearn to learn. In just a few days, after absorbing vast amounts of information, he becomes the town genius. No one will ever confuse me with Albert Einstein, even if the local Holiday Inn invites me to take up permanent residence. I'm always looking for that strange burst of brilliance, but I just don't see it. Except when I'm in a library. Once inside the Berea branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, just 5 minutes from my home, the potential seems limitless. As Samuel Johnson, an 18th century English author, put it, "No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library." We, as residents of Northeast Ohio, have it better off than most. The CCPL is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation for libraries that serve populations of 500,000 or more. As a card-carrying member, I have direct access to more than 11 million items, including, no doubt, a few of Samuel Johnson’s works. Not that I get to the library often enough. My latest trip resulted in me having to update my otherwise pristine membership card. But it saved me 60 bucks that I would have spent at the bookstore on two of Michael Roizen's nutrition hardbacks. Far more frequent patrons are my wife and sons. The boys, ages 3 and 1, have practically grown up in the Berea, Strongsville, and Middleburg Heights libraries. They play there. They sing. They listen - and learn - as library staffers read aloud. Free programs have instructed my wife how to knit and make chocolates. While I may be a literary slacker, I can’t imagine them not being able to call the library their second home. And apparently I’m not alone. Fearful of a proposed $227.3 million cut to the state's Public Library Fund, thousands of Ohioans have been writing, calling, and emailing their state legislators and Gov. Ted Strickland. Their voices, it seems, are being heard. As of July 14, the budget cut was rumored to have fallen to $84.3 million over the next two years. Cleveland Business Connects makes it a point to shy from politics. But as we put the finishing touches on this education issue, we are thrilled that the state may spare our libraries to a degree. Hope does thrive inside these institutions, and it shouldn’t take a genius to realize we have to continue to support these linchpins of community life.