February is Library Lovers' Month and, because I am a librarian, I couldn't let the month pass without a celebratory post.
The purpose of the special month is to recognize the value of libraries and to celebrate libraries of all types, including the public library in your neighborhood or the library in your child's elementary school. For me, this is simple, as I have loved libraries for as long as I can remember.
When I was a very young child and not yet in school, my parents used to take me to our local library on a regular basis. I always looked forward to the trips, and as soon as we got inside the building I would run to the children's section and the shelves dedicated to books for very young kids. I knew exactly where the books I wanted were located on the shelves, as I picked out the same books nearly every time I visited.
I always wanted the Beatrix Potter books, which featured the adorable characters of Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, and Squirrel Nutkin, among many others. The little green books were in the right corner of the bottom shelf, and I always chose one or more of them to bring home.
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I loved all of the Potter books, but my favorite was Tom Kitten. Many years later when I lived on my own and adopted a kitten, I named him Thomas.
We always had tons of books at home, but for me there was something special about going to the library and picking out my own books to read. It didn't matter to me that I always picked the same ones.
Once I was in school I loved going to my school library, and I can still picture the whole place in my mind. Once again, I knew exactly where the books I loved to read were located.
This time, I favored the Freddy the Pig series, by Walter Brooks. My particular favorites were Freddy Goes to Florida and Freddy Goes to the North Pole, as I loved the adventures of Freddy and his traveling farm animal friends.
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As with everything else, my love of animals was present in my book choices.
I will always love libraries and the world of books thanks to the joy they brought me as a child, and it makes me smile now when I go to my local library and see children burdened down with their own treasured books as they wait to check them out.
What about you? Were you enchanted by libraries as a child?
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Happy Library Lovers' Month and Happy Weekend to all! :)
I'm a librarian too, but I forgot it was Library Lovers' month. I guess that's what I get for working in an academic library instead of public one. Oops.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved libraries. The first time I had my library card, I think I checked out about 10+ books. I would've checked out everything, if I could.
I'm definitely a library lover! I don't think we could support my heavy reading addiction any other way :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes! As a child I lived in the library. I can still smell it and remember exactly where all my favourite authors were. Everything from Enid Blyton to Arthur Ransome, Ruby Ferguson, Louisa M Alcott. I loved the William books, Jennings …. gosh I could go on and on lol
ReplyDeleteLIbraries ROCK!! Quietly, of course. :))
ReplyDeleteYep, I loved going to the library as a kid. They did story time in a kiva-like carpeted pit. Loved to listen to the librarian read us stories. And then afterward I got to pick out whatever I wanted to take home for FREE. Awesome.
WOOT! Libraries are awesome!
ReplyDeleteI ADORE libraries. When we lived in MD, I was a card-carrying member of probably half a dozen different libraries, and used 'em all. As a child, in addition to the libraries, a bookmobile used to come into our neighborhood every other week. When we moved to GA in 1971, the itty bitty library in our little town was in an old house, and the books, such as they were, were shelved all willy nilly. No Dewey decimal system, no nod to alphabetical order, no grouping by topic or author. Nothing. I actually cried. And then joined two book clubs to feed my habit. Now, our local libraries are fabulous. YAY for libraries!
ReplyDelete@Cherie, I'm in an academic library too but I just happened to come upon an article about this month. I'm with you, I always wanted to check out as many books as I could.
ReplyDelete@Johanna, I know what you mean, books can definitely get expensive!
@Carolyn, I loved the smell of the library too. It still makes me smile to think of all the time I spent there as a kid.
@LG, I think that's what was so amazing to me as a kid, that I could just pick out anything I wanted. What a windfall LOL.
@Julie, I agree!
@Susan, oh, I would have loved having a mobile library, although it wasn't necessary as our library was within walking distance of my house. But it still would have been fun LOL. :)
Hi Julie .. so pleased you've posted that it's Library Lovers month .. as I was/am going to write about libraries next ...
ReplyDeleteWe had books at home - I guess the library was in the big town and I never saw one til I went to big school at 9 ... going on 10. Before that I read .. presumably from shelves at the Nursery School and then ? primary 7 - 9 years old ..
I read and read .. always reading - not sure how much I took in .. not a lot .. still a lot comes out now. I stopped reading as such when I hit the sport scene - playing semi serious squash for 35 years .. but I always had my reference books around me (and cookery books galore!) .. which went to South Africa and returned from there ..
So glad to know I can link across to you .. cheers for now - I'd better get my library ideas in place - as you'd expect ... not the sort your thinking of necessarily - full of books though!
Cheers - have a great weekend .. Hilary
Oh yes. I adored the local library where I grew up. It was a wonderful place with this pit with under-floor heating in the winter.
ReplyDelete:-)
Libraries are awesome. The public ones now are filled with DVDs and not as many books. But it's awesome you can order whatever you want. I especially loved my college library - it was like they had every word ever published on anything.
ReplyDeleteOn this past visit with my nephew and niece, we all went to the library. We listened to story time, made a craft based on the story (although Aunt Maddie was not very good at that part) and picked out lots of books to bring home - which the kids had everyone read to them over and over. I love libraries! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Library Lovers' month! I love the library. Ever since I was a small child, I've loved going. I just took my son to a tots' story time this morning. In a few months, he'll be two and then he can go to a lot more free programs. They're wonderful and the librarians are always so sweet. My son was giving fist bump love to the librarians last week when we were there.
ReplyDeleteAt first we had a bookmobile. The steps were really tall. A few years later, we had a real library. The bookmobile came every other Thursday, so even after the library was built, Thursday was still the day we went. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend!
Yay for libraries! My mom took us every week, and we had library day 1x a week at school (school library). Loved everything Dr. Seuss and Winnie-the-Pooh was a favorite. There was a story about a gypsy girl I really liked, too. Can't remember the title.
ReplyDeleteYAY!!! Happy Library Month!!!
ReplyDeleteI have always loved libraries and my earliest memories involve sitting in an aisle in the school library that held my cherished Dr.Seuss books!
I am not now, nor will I EVER be a Nook or Kindle girl!
I love my library. And I used to work in one - I loved that too.
ReplyDeleteBTW I've tagged you on my blog.
Wow, a fellow Freddy the Pig lover. I'm about to cry! There's no kinship like the one established through books.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! There is something so magical about them! All those adventures waiting to be had! I loved the Potter books as a kid too... tho now saying Potter books means a completely different tale. lol :)
ReplyDelete@Hilary, oh, I am anxious to read your library post, how awesome. I can relate to reading and reading and not being sure how much you took in. Sometimes I think I am still that way! Thanks, I hope you are having a great weekend as well. :)
ReplyDelete@Misha, that sounds really cool! I would have loved that as a kid.
@Tonja, that's how I felt about my college library too. I actually worked there and loved that job. It was a huge place and I have such fond memories of being there.
@Madeline, oh, I would not have been good at the craft part either LOL. Sounds like a very fun trip though. :)
@Christine, oh, how adorable! Your son sounds so precious. I always get a kick out of seeing all the kids at story time when I visit the library, so cute.
@Carol, now I'm thinking even more I would have loved having a bookmobile when I was a kid. A special day just for that would have been such fun. Thanks, I hope you are having a great weekend!
@Mary, that was how it was at my school, we had library day once a week. I loved it! I hated gym class and was never any good at music so those days were not fun to me, I always looked forward to library day. :) Loved Winnie and Dr. Suess too, still do!
@Caren, oh, I can remember sitting in the aisles too, I loved that. And loved reading Dr. Suess, can't believe I forgot those. LOL, I love my Kindle but there's still nothing like a real book. :)
@Annalisa, oh, thank you, I will be there to check it out, thanks!
@Julie, I'm so excited, I never thought I'd find another Freddy lover LOL. Yay for Freddy! :)
@Pk, that's so true, I didn't even think of that LOL. I doubt anyone thinks of Peter Rabbit when they just hear Potter now. But that's okay as I love Harry too. :)
I love the library!! My parents used to to take us every week. Saturday afternoon was library day. Our was only a few blocks from the house so we would walk up there and spend the day looking at books. It it where I discovered C.S. Lewis and my love of writing was born.
ReplyDeleteI'm still enchanted by libraries. While the town I live in doesn't have one, the one nearby resides in an old Victorian house and I love all the rooms in it. I never really went to the library as a child, except for summer vacation. I read everything in the school libraries, and since 6th grade worked in them.
ReplyDeleteI love my local library. I'm not sure how I could afford to read all the books I want to without it. Happy Month to you.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK we are losing a lot of libraries. It is a big issue for a lot of people here at the minute. Luckily our local hasn't closed, but the one in the next village has. It's a shame.
ReplyDeleteI did spend a lot of time in the library when I was young. Taking out great big mountainous piles of books. I buy books now, so haven't been in a library for a while, but I have considered taking my laptop in and getting some quite writing time there amongst all the books. Maybe I should do more than think about it and get off my bum and go.
I'm so grateful to libraries. They provided the majority of my reading as a child. And with my own children, they provided hours of entertainment and hundreds of picture books. These days, their audiobooks entertain us on road trips.
ReplyDelete@Melissa, our library was in walking distance too, I loved walking there once I was old enough. I wonder how many other writers discovered their passion at the library, probably lots!
ReplyDelete@Gwen, oh, I bet the library near you is lovely. An old Victorian house sounds like such a perfect setting. I am a sucker for old books and old buildings.
@Susan, thanks, Happy Month to you as well! :)
@Rebecca, oh, that's a real shame so many libraries in the UK are closing. I know the recession hit the library systems here very hard.
@Theresa, I feel the same way, no doubt.
ooh didn't know about library lovers month. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I just tagged you for a post!
Nutschell,
www.thewritingnut.com
@nutschell, oh, thank you for the tag, I will head over to your blog. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think I appreciated going to the library even more after my children were born. The library was such a wonderful place to read stories together, as well as, play computer games. We would always celebrate by going out for ice cream or another fun snack afterward. Julie
ReplyDelete@Julie, oh, that sounds like fun with your boys. I bet they had a great time with you on your library trips. And enjoyed the goodies afterwards! :)
ReplyDeleteI can still picture the library near my childhood home so clearly!!! (I wonder if it's still there?) It was an old house converted into a library, with lots of small rooms. I would always pick one new book and one old favorite - glad to know I'm not the only one who did that.
ReplyDelete@Margo, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one as well. :D That library sounds wonderful, I love old houses like that.
ReplyDeleteI love libraries!! I spent many happy hours hanging out in my small town library during childhood. Now I work two blocks from a massive city library. It's heaven.
ReplyDelete@Brinda, that does sound like heaven! I know I would be spending a lot of time there if I were you. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Julie. I'm stopping by to check out your blog.
ReplyDeleteI always looked forward to going to the library as a child. It was great fun picking out books to take home to read over and over again.
I'm also participating in the A to Z blog challenge. I look forward to seeing what you blog about in April.
Susanne
PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER
@Susanne, hi, it's great to meet you! Thanks for stopping by, I am looking forward to checking out your blog as well. I can't wait for the A-Z Challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteMy parents didn't take me to the library often. When they did I was fascinated by it. There was even an art gallery on the upper level!
ReplyDelete@Janel, oh, that art gallery sounds awesome! I would have loved that, I'm sure. :)
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