Brad Jones remembers his mom, Jean, teaching them the Dewey Decimal system and saying, “There is always something to be learned at the library.”

His parents were nature lovers and his father, the late civic leader Cliff Jones, ventured all over the world on birdwatching trips. The family home was a “Wild Kingdom” of purchased and borrowed books.

“There’s so much that a library adds to making a place livable,’’ Brad says, recalling that as a child, he marveled the vast selection – available to everyone at no fee. “Libraries bring communities together.’’

What are you reading now? I am on a presidential biography binge. I finished the Grant biography by Ron Chernow. Then I went to the Hamilton biography. I got the Chernow bug. I also read “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House,” by Jon Meacham, and “No Ordinary Time,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. My daughter turned me onto Jon Krakauer – “Into Thin Air,” “Under the Banner of Heaven,” “Missoula.” He’s a tremendous researcher.

Why those particular books? Particularly right now, it’s good to reflect on some of the adversity our predecessors have had to endure. You learn a lot about perseverance and grit and coming out the other side of difficult situations. All those presidential biographies are set in some interesting times of testing the whole country. It’s a good reminder for all of us.

What’s your favorite thing about The Library? For Harristown, we consider The Library to be a strong component of the assets that are part of Downtown Harrisburg. The McCormick Riverfront Library is beautiful, and you couldn’t ask for a better location. As we build more apartments, The Library becomes a cornerstone as a place where our residents can continue to enjoy and explore and learn as part of their very walkable environment.