It’s National Library Week and just the idea of it carries me back to some of the happiest days of my childhood. Our local library was an escape hatch into other worlds… some filled with facts, others with fantasy and adventure. I soaked it all up and wanted more.
The library was my lifeline in many ways. Often a weekly outing, it was a chance to explore new places, to satisfy my curiosity on some issues and raise even more questions. Some of my earliest memories are my parents reading to me.
When I was old enough to start exploring those stacks on my own in school and at the public library… well let’s just say my passion for books only grew stronger every year.
The school library was where I first learned how to research and while many of my classmates groaned about having to be quiet and choose a book, I couldn’t contain my enthusiasm. And I couldn’t understand their reluctance. I guess even then, I was an introvert who needed a daily dose of quiet time.
My husband and I read to our children from day one, and we’re thrilled to say we raised readers. While libraries have changed dramatically in the years since, it was a familiar comfort to introduce them to story time and the young readers sections, how to care for books, and help them navigate the non-fiction areas as their curiosity and interests expanded with every new discovery.
Ages ago when our kids were small, another mother told me she didn’t want us to give her childbooks for a birthday present. “We have too many books already.” Looking back, I’d say she’s a perfect candidate for an ereader, but at the time it was all I could do to politely smother my shock and dismay. Books have been always been considered treasured gifts by everyone in our family.
Libraries taught me so much about myself, my world, and all those other worlds I long to explore. A wandering tour through the stacks, surrounded by the gentle peace and time-honored scent of books will always be a lovely way to spend a few hours with soft-spoken people, a quiet rattle of fingers on keyboards, and the rasp of a turning page.
Libraries give us the freedom to go anywhere… for a few hours or for a few weeks until the book is due back to share with others.
Remember your library this week and go check out what’s new!
Live the adventure,
