I'm not sure I ever told you this, but my first career was as a university reference librarian. To my parents horror, I gave up a tenure-track position to work as a travel writer. Despite having left the profession while still in my twenties, many of my dearest friends are librarians.
Love all these comments! I too have such great library memories. Growing up in a very rural area the only access to a library I had when school was out was the "rolling library", a van that would come up into the mountains every couple of weeks and leave books at the home of a local woman who agreed to serve as librarian. She knew I loved to read so would call my Mom when new stuff came in. During the school year the principal of our little elementary school that served K-8th with a walk-in closet sized library, let me serve as librarian and help younger kids check out books. During the pandemic I especially came to appreciate the fact that library's have gone digital. I was able to use the Libby app to read more than ever before. At least 80% of the 200 books I read last year came from the 3 local libraries where I am a member. Lots of folks may not realized that Chesterfield County has reciprocity with Henrico County and City of Richmond. Sometimes a book that has a long wait at Chesterfield will be readily available on Libby from one of the others. As a new grandparent I look forward to soon being able to take my granddaughter to a library story hour!
I also love libraries, though I wish I had more time to browse and read. I'm blessed that the Bon Air Library is only about half a mile form my work. When my kids were little, we took part in the summer programs and story times. They had book reading challenges and such with prizes. When I worked in Appomattox, one parishioner worked at the library and another volunteered, so I went often, getting books on tape or CD to listen to on my 30 mile commute. I do some of my best fiction "reading" with audio books I can get at the library or through Libby, the library app. So many books... so little time.
I also love libraries. When I was a kid I really loved the card catalogs. You could just pick a drawer, flip through the cards until something caught your fancy. You would then locate the area of the library indicated on the card, running your fingers along the spines of shelved books until you got to the one you wanted. It's still lovely to browse the shelves, picking up a book in which the cover is fabulously designed (after all, you really CAN judge a book by its' cover!), and spend the afternoon immersed in all those words strung so beautifully together.
Maybe ten years ago, I made a point of visiting all the libraries in the Richmond city system. My goals were to see all of Richmond’s neighborhoods and to check out the last of the books on tape I hadn’t listened to as they were being phased out. My strangest experience was at the Hull Street Library, the only library at the time with no evening hours. Some teenage boys who’d left the library in an act of aggression, threw several pieces of wrapped chocolate at me. It was both frightening and weird. Why candy?
As a rural kid, my school libraries were a huge outlet. I went often and checked out more books than I could count. In 6th and 7th grade I was a library helper and for a kid sometimes bullied, it was my escape. While most volunteers preferred to sit at the checkout desk and use the all powerful date stamp, I preferred shelving books and keeping mental track of what was checked out most often and even checked the cards to see who was checking out what. I learned who the horse lovers were, who liked biographies and that all the low readers loved a set of folk tale collections that had particularly simple language. In high school, I snuck into the library often hoping not to be known as the nerdy book girl, being careful only to read on the bus as I didn’t much care about the opinions of those on my bus. My senior year I avoided the library by taking “Novel Class”, a class with only longer works to read. Then, I could openly carry my novels and just say “It’s for class.”
When we moved to a new place once the basics are signed on (the utilities in the rental agreement and things like that) the first thing I go do is get a library card! When we moved here, I actually got two, for both Chesterfield and for the city system! I love libraries. They've been a massive part of my life since I was in at least the fourth grade
LIBRARIES!!! I swoon for them. They give me a thrill. Yes, buy books, wonderful, but to stumble on a book in a library, swoon. The ROI of a book on a library shelf is exponential. Sign me up to be part of your library posse. I'm in. I was raised to savor them. (Love all the mutual benefit you describe here between your library and you. This is **essential knowledge.**)
I'm not sure I ever told you this, but my first career was as a university reference librarian. To my parents horror, I gave up a tenure-track position to work as a travel writer. Despite having left the profession while still in my twenties, many of my dearest friends are librarians.
Love all these comments! I too have such great library memories. Growing up in a very rural area the only access to a library I had when school was out was the "rolling library", a van that would come up into the mountains every couple of weeks and leave books at the home of a local woman who agreed to serve as librarian. She knew I loved to read so would call my Mom when new stuff came in. During the school year the principal of our little elementary school that served K-8th with a walk-in closet sized library, let me serve as librarian and help younger kids check out books. During the pandemic I especially came to appreciate the fact that library's have gone digital. I was able to use the Libby app to read more than ever before. At least 80% of the 200 books I read last year came from the 3 local libraries where I am a member. Lots of folks may not realized that Chesterfield County has reciprocity with Henrico County and City of Richmond. Sometimes a book that has a long wait at Chesterfield will be readily available on Libby from one of the others. As a new grandparent I look forward to soon being able to take my granddaughter to a library story hour!
Being a librarian is my path not taken also. I love libraries, and I'm so glad to hear the event last night felt uplifting.
I also love libraries, though I wish I had more time to browse and read. I'm blessed that the Bon Air Library is only about half a mile form my work. When my kids were little, we took part in the summer programs and story times. They had book reading challenges and such with prizes. When I worked in Appomattox, one parishioner worked at the library and another volunteered, so I went often, getting books on tape or CD to listen to on my 30 mile commute. I do some of my best fiction "reading" with audio books I can get at the library or through Libby, the library app. So many books... so little time.
I loved going to the book mobile atc7th Ave and Bethany as a kid...you have inspired me to check out the Prescott Library. Stay well
I also love libraries. When I was a kid I really loved the card catalogs. You could just pick a drawer, flip through the cards until something caught your fancy. You would then locate the area of the library indicated on the card, running your fingers along the spines of shelved books until you got to the one you wanted. It's still lovely to browse the shelves, picking up a book in which the cover is fabulously designed (after all, you really CAN judge a book by its' cover!), and spend the afternoon immersed in all those words strung so beautifully together.
Maybe ten years ago, I made a point of visiting all the libraries in the Richmond city system. My goals were to see all of Richmond’s neighborhoods and to check out the last of the books on tape I hadn’t listened to as they were being phased out. My strangest experience was at the Hull Street Library, the only library at the time with no evening hours. Some teenage boys who’d left the library in an act of aggression, threw several pieces of wrapped chocolate at me. It was both frightening and weird. Why candy?
As a rural kid, my school libraries were a huge outlet. I went often and checked out more books than I could count. In 6th and 7th grade I was a library helper and for a kid sometimes bullied, it was my escape. While most volunteers preferred to sit at the checkout desk and use the all powerful date stamp, I preferred shelving books and keeping mental track of what was checked out most often and even checked the cards to see who was checking out what. I learned who the horse lovers were, who liked biographies and that all the low readers loved a set of folk tale collections that had particularly simple language. In high school, I snuck into the library often hoping not to be known as the nerdy book girl, being careful only to read on the bus as I didn’t much care about the opinions of those on my bus. My senior year I avoided the library by taking “Novel Class”, a class with only longer works to read. Then, I could openly carry my novels and just say “It’s for class.”
When we moved to a new place once the basics are signed on (the utilities in the rental agreement and things like that) the first thing I go do is get a library card! When we moved here, I actually got two, for both Chesterfield and for the city system! I love libraries. They've been a massive part of my life since I was in at least the fourth grade
LIBRARIES!!! I swoon for them. They give me a thrill. Yes, buy books, wonderful, but to stumble on a book in a library, swoon. The ROI of a book on a library shelf is exponential. Sign me up to be part of your library posse. I'm in. I was raised to savor them. (Love all the mutual benefit you describe here between your library and you. This is **essential knowledge.**)