I love books so very much. I think the first library I remember was one far up north in Manitoba, Canada. We lived in Thompson one summer, at Paint Lake. And there was no television and it was before the internet existed. I remember being a twelve year old set free in a room full of books. That was the summer I became obsessed with Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Which was full of magic vs mundanity, and puns! I was ravenous for those books.
I remember that library being bright and sparse with metal shelving.
When we moved to The Pas…that library wowed me. It was three floors with a wending pathway meant so folks in wheelchairs could reach the top. It had a children’s section on the bottom, a reading room for teens tucked up and in the middle and all the reference books at the top.
So many books. I know because my first real job was for the nasty head librarian who when she found out that one of the older (she was likely 40, but I was 15 at the time) librarians was making the “you’ve a late book” phone calls for me, she made me spend the summer dusting every. single. book. That’s how I learned the Dewey decimal system.
I love your recollection of being small and in the library.
I took my eldest child to our local library in a small town in Ontario, three times a day. He LOVED books and we would read for ages, and he would pull every single book off the bottom shelf and stack them high and look through every single one, every single day, three times a day.
When we weren’t in the library we were walking, or in the bookstore.
When my youngest was born we didn’t the same thing altogether.
When we moved to Seattle, the downtown library became our second home for the first month, and I took my children into that awed reference section, and they loved it. The old books, the quiet people. They felt a part of it.
The library in our new town is stunning as well. I think you might have inspired me to write a newsletter on libraries!
I love the magic of your writing. This piece took me down a path well worn and loved. I appreciate you!
I am from Spain, Catalonia. I live in a tiny little village that doesn't have a library of its own, even though the city is 10 minutes away, and there's a library there. So every two weeks came, and still comes, a library bus. We call It "bibliobús". It's basically a library inside a bus, and it's so cool, i loved It. I remember going out from school and running to this bus to get books. To this day, this bus still has a special place in my heart.
Libraries...the thought that they might one day give way to all digital spaces breaks my heart. I have so many happy memories of the libraries I visited as a child and then as a student. But my favourite library memories now are of all the trips to the library with my sons when they were little, then cuddling up at home with the books. I think libraries are sacred spaces.
While we had a lovely, big library in my little suburb, Sugarhouse, near Salt Lake City, Utah. just a mile or so away, I was lucky to have the bookmobile park just across the street from my house. There is where I found books about dogs - Big Red, Old Yeller. I liked reading about the adventures of boys. In fact, I can't remember any books at the moment that were about girls except Trixie Belden mysteries, or ... well ... that was sixty-five years ago and there were so many books. When I first started reading, it was a struggle ti finish a book. It took many years to discipline myself to finish books. No problem with that now.
How nice! I'd love to have a mobile library coming around every once in a while, but I've never heard about it before. I'm not sure if we have something like this in Germany. Anyway, I loved going to the library when I studied. The silence and heaviness all around, getting lost between all those rows of books.
That would be an amazing job! Books and adventure! Shetland is stunning. My daughter works at our university library. I’m jealous.
Love it! I'm just reading "The bookshop on the Corner" by Jenny Colgan which is right on theme 😄
I love books so very much. I think the first library I remember was one far up north in Manitoba, Canada. We lived in Thompson one summer, at Paint Lake. And there was no television and it was before the internet existed. I remember being a twelve year old set free in a room full of books. That was the summer I became obsessed with Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Which was full of magic vs mundanity, and puns! I was ravenous for those books.
I remember that library being bright and sparse with metal shelving.
When we moved to The Pas…that library wowed me. It was three floors with a wending pathway meant so folks in wheelchairs could reach the top. It had a children’s section on the bottom, a reading room for teens tucked up and in the middle and all the reference books at the top.
So many books. I know because my first real job was for the nasty head librarian who when she found out that one of the older (she was likely 40, but I was 15 at the time) librarians was making the “you’ve a late book” phone calls for me, she made me spend the summer dusting every. single. book. That’s how I learned the Dewey decimal system.
I love your recollection of being small and in the library.
I took my eldest child to our local library in a small town in Ontario, three times a day. He LOVED books and we would read for ages, and he would pull every single book off the bottom shelf and stack them high and look through every single one, every single day, three times a day.
When we weren’t in the library we were walking, or in the bookstore.
When my youngest was born we didn’t the same thing altogether.
When we moved to Seattle, the downtown library became our second home for the first month, and I took my children into that awed reference section, and they loved it. The old books, the quiet people. They felt a part of it.
The library in our new town is stunning as well. I think you might have inspired me to write a newsletter on libraries!
I love the magic of your writing. This piece took me down a path well worn and loved. I appreciate you!
What a blessing to the customers!
I am from Spain, Catalonia. I live in a tiny little village that doesn't have a library of its own, even though the city is 10 minutes away, and there's a library there. So every two weeks came, and still comes, a library bus. We call It "bibliobús". It's basically a library inside a bus, and it's so cool, i loved It. I remember going out from school and running to this bus to get books. To this day, this bus still has a special place in my heart.
Libraries...the thought that they might one day give way to all digital spaces breaks my heart. I have so many happy memories of the libraries I visited as a child and then as a student. But my favourite library memories now are of all the trips to the library with my sons when they were little, then cuddling up at home with the books. I think libraries are sacred spaces.
While we had a lovely, big library in my little suburb, Sugarhouse, near Salt Lake City, Utah. just a mile or so away, I was lucky to have the bookmobile park just across the street from my house. There is where I found books about dogs - Big Red, Old Yeller. I liked reading about the adventures of boys. In fact, I can't remember any books at the moment that were about girls except Trixie Belden mysteries, or ... well ... that was sixty-five years ago and there were so many books. When I first started reading, it was a struggle ti finish a book. It took many years to discipline myself to finish books. No problem with that now.
How nice! I'd love to have a mobile library coming around every once in a while, but I've never heard about it before. I'm not sure if we have something like this in Germany. Anyway, I loved going to the library when I studied. The silence and heaviness all around, getting lost between all those rows of books.