I first fell in love with the library when I was in 6th grade. My parents moved close to the library (about two miles away), and I'd ride my bike there every day during summer. The librarians became my mentors and books became my friends. I signed up for the reading program and made it my goal to read as many books as possible! I still have a newspaper clipping from when I was eleven and had a pile of books in front of me ... I was the Reader of the Week and very proud!
One time I learned that reading could be very dangerous. I remember riding home one summer day in 1982 with two large shopping bags of books on the handle bars of my bike. The problem was that to get home I had to go down a very large hill ... and it turned out that the books on the front were heavier than me, and I flipped over the handlebars. Ouch! Thankfully, I was okay. Also, that didn't even slow my love for reading.
When I had kids of my own I went to the library once a week and we checked out books. PILES of books. Sometimes I'd have to load the kids into the car and then I'd have to go back for the books. There were times I had to make more than one trip. Since we homeschooled, I made reading library books the core of our curriculum, and when my kids were old enough for the summer reading program you can bet I signed them up!
More than that, when I got the idea that I wanted to be an author I turned to the library for help. I checked out books on writing and research books. I still do. I buy many books, but I check out even more. The cool thing is the librarians know me and they're always asking what book I'm working on. They're excited when I have a new book in print.
The most amazing part of my love of the library is that I didn't grow up in a reading family--the library opened up the world of books to me. I don't even remember owning any books as a child or being read to. If it wasn't for the library I'm not sure where I would be today ... would I be an author and homeschooling mom? I doubt it.
So to all you librarians out there ... thank you for all you do. You Rock!
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5 comments:
"Death by books" doesn't sound like too bad a way to go...
I love our local library and am encouraging my children to begin a love affair with books, too.
I'm encouraged that you have successfully integrated books into your life, both writing and reading, since coming from a non-reading family. Maybe there's hope for me.
Wonderful post! I was talking with a lady in our church last night. She and her six children checked out 74 books from the library on Saturday! Isn't it wonderful the magical doors that libraries open to the world? I hope someday, I will be able to open doors for someone with one of my stories.
Thanks for this great post,Tricia! Of course I might be just a tad biased. :-) Thanks for making this librarian's day.
I have a different experience. I must have been 9 when our teacher took the class to the local library. We must have been told the basics (I can't remember that) but then we were left to explore on our own. I was totally lost. Discovering familiar names I realized we had those books at home and I had no idea what to do with names not familiar. That's how a bookworm kid can feel totally lost in a library. :)
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