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By the wonderful Grace Farris.
P.S. Magazine for your fourties and books for winter.
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I remember Pajama Story time, the candle was lit at the beginning….and then the magic of it being blown out at the end. Libraries have always been, and still are, magical.
We’re going to the library this weekend, and it is to watch a puppet show in their theatre. It’s an actual theatre that houses over 200 people. I love how the libraries have changed yet also stayed the same. It’s giving my children and myself some wonderful experiences such as this theatre day. They also recently added a puzzle section, which requires no library card. They are all donated, and people can borrow or take them. My son and I are puzzle freaks so we’ve been having a blast with this too. Ok ok I know I’m showing off…but honestly Libraries are the best!!
I am a director of a large library system and every Friday I send out an email asking people to share a good story/nice patron interaction from the week (Win of the Week). I always accompany these emails with a library/bookish comic. Thanks to Grace Ferris for providing so many.
I live a block away from my local library, which is the most magical corner of our one stoplight town. My 3 & 5 year old ask to go nearly every day and always leave with a big stack of books. Our librarians are simply angels. They have the best book suggestions, help with the kids “Art Cart”, and genuinely check-in in on me the overtired mom of 3 under 5. Thank goodness we live in a world with libraries.
Growing up our local library had a huge, kite-like dragon high up on the ceiling. It was over the adult fantasy section. I still remember the children books-on cassette tape all hanging on a rack, and getting my books stamped by the librarian to show the due date. While stamping, the librarian and my mom would always make small talk and he/she would always discuss our book choices. Good memories!
This was so. on. point. Thank you.
DYING for a Grace Harris special on recommended romance novels
So happy to read all the love for libraries! (I am a childrens’ librarian) :-)
I’ve been a library user since birth! Or probably before because my mom was a frequent library patron while pregnant with me. Some of my best early memories involve snuggling up in a comfy chair in the children’s area of the library with a pile of my favorite books. And, once I got older, I could walk there from my house with a friend for the summer reading activities! When I had kids of my own, and was sometimes struggling with two under two while my husband was away from work, our library was a respite. I live in a different town, but could still walk to the library on a Saturday with my girls in their stroller and we had a nice, cool spot to (collectively) chill.
Fast forward to now: my girls are grown, and live pretty far away. I have always wanted to work at the library but went into an unrelated field after college. Our local library system had a part-time assistant job opening. Library assistants in our system don’t need an MLS so I was okay there. I decided that now was my time! I applied for the job and got it. I cut back to part-time in my other job and work at the library a few days a week. It’s so rewarding and lovely and I enjoy it so much! I was so excited to get a note from a patron about how much she loved a book I recommended. So, friends, lifelong dreams can come true :)
The library was my happy place when I was a child. From age 9 I was allowed to go by myself and I went every week. It wasn’t huge, the children’s section was only 2 small walls of shelving but it was peaceful there and everyone was kind. We had no money for books so being able to choose new ones every week was the biggest joy. When I had my own children we lived in a small village with a tiny library, we made a weekly pilgrimage there for books and play. I have many happy memories of visits there with my children for story time and special school holiday activities. There was once an activity that was about teddy bears and people were asked to bring along their favourite bears, so many people came that they couldn’t fit everyone in the building. I was very sad when it closed, our county council closed most of the local libraries, only leaving the big ones in city centres, this denies access to so many people. To this day, I am still a little bit jealous whenever I spot a local library and I always say out loud that they are lucky enough to have such a good place.
That is so sad about the closing of those libraries. There were plans to close one of the more rural ones near where I live too. Not the one I frequent, which is thankfully a few blocks from my house. But it was in the same library system. I was so happy to learn that it did not happen. I felt so sad for people losing their local library. People really banded together and fought it. I’m sorry yours did not have the same outcome. So cool to hear you’re a lifelong reader though! But wish you still had your library.
Librairies have saved us so many times! We like to go when we’re traveling (especially if the weather is bad in a small town and my 2yo needs new scenery). I think I chose my PhD program because the library took my breath away! (Widener— didn’t yet know that I’d mostly be in the freezing stacks and not the majestic foyer, lol.) In Paris this year, we have a whole itinerary of local libraries, each with their own advantages and disadvantages — in other words, we swiftly replicated our library life back home. Shout out to Louise Michel in the 20e: small and mighty!
Libraries. In a world full of problems, one thing that is so plainly, wonderfully, amazingly right and good. 🩷
When I was a kid I did not enjoy reading or the library. After I was all done with school, I started reading for pleasure and now I love reading and I love the library. I go to the library all of the time, it is one of my favorite places.
I can explore so many things in the library and the librarians are amazing. They are always so patient and helpful.
Discovering and appreciating the library as an adult has been very special to me.
Ahhhh, I wanted to be a librarian when I was a kid, but have settled for many, many years (still ongoing) of volunteering in several of our school district’s libraries. Our daughter is an academic librarian, our son is access services manager at a university library, and his fiancee works full time at his library and has just started working on her MLIS. We love books, libraries, and super hero librarians! So many wonderful memories of so many libraries throughout my lifetime.
It sounds amazing but what exactly is an academic librarian? It sounds like my dream job before even knowing what it entails!
Professional librarian chiming in! Love to see all these happy memories and positive associations. I get so much joy from seeing people use our services! I have worked at libraries for most of my adult life and I’m always amazed that libraries haven’t lost their magic for me. Sometimes I get off work at my library (at a community college) and go straight to the public library nearby just to relax and unwind!
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