I didn't often go to the library as a kid -- it was downtown and, with five little kids and no driver's license, it was difficult for Mom to get us there. But did I ever love the Bookmobile! Twice a month we'd walk the couple of blocks to where it was parked in front of Taylor's grocery store, across from the fire station. That and the school library opened up the world to me.
At junior high orientation we were given two forms to fill out to obtain our library cards. One was light blue and the other was peach. They looked beautiful together and I knew the moment I received mine what my wedding colors would be! Ah, how I loved the library!
Over the years I used the library for research, for doing homework, for spying on boys. I got an occasional nap at the study carrol of the college library. My public library trips increased as my kids got interested in books and videos. I loved children's books so much that for my classroom volunteering I would offer to get books from the library to support whatever theme the teacher wanted. When the card catalog went online I was able to "go to the library" from our home computer.
Tom listens to books on CD on his daily 40-minute commute to work, CDs he gets from the library. And that's where most of the DVDs come from that we enjoy watching. There is usually something on the library's holds shelf for at least one member of our family.
Last summer, on our trip to Portland, we spent several hours in the city's public libraries and last week I made a mad dash into the Maricopa, Arizona library. They were all wonderful.
My friend Karen is such a fan of the library that she entered an essay contest in Good Housekeeping about how the library has impacted her life -- and won! She and her homeschooled son Jonathan, along with her essay, appeared in the March issue!
I can't imagine life without the library.
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