Sunday, April 18, 2010

National Library Week

Here in the US, this past week was National Library Week (April 11 -- 17) and their theme for this year was:
Communities Thrive @ Your Library

What I didn't know was that National Library Week has been celebrated since 1958. WOW! A tradition ALMOST as olde as me!

Public and school libraries all have a very special place in my heart because I spent a lot of time in them when I was growing up. During the school year, at least once a week (and usually more often) you could find me somewhere in the stacks of books with my nose stuck in a book. I'd go before school started, after school (if the bus was late) and just about any other time I was allowed inside. Whenever we had 'free time' at the library (which happened every couple of weeks or so) you would find me rushing in the door first!

During the summer, the public library was a real haven. In a place that often reached 100 degrees in July and August, our house did not have air conditioning. The library did! My mother would take me, my sister and brother to the library every other week and I was in HEAVEN! The place was cool and filled with books. What more could you possibly want?!

Our nearest public library was in a grand old building with marble columns in front and wide stone steps with curving marble bannisters that my sister and brother would slide down over and over. Not me! I was inside picking out books to take home and read! Bless my mother, she would let me check out as many as I could carry because she knew I really would read them all! The library had a summer reading program and every year I was allowed to participate (1st -- 6th grade) I won some kind of prize for the large number of books I read.

Yes, I was a hopeless BOOK GEEK!

Yes, I still am.

No, I DO NOT CARE and I never did! I wear my geek badge proudly.

One of the biggest thrills for me, since seeing my books in print, is knowing they are in libraries all across the country.

Do you have any library stories to share?

6 comments:

Helen said...

Hi Aunty Cindy

Yay me too I loved libraries when I was a kid as well the school library and public library and when my kids were young I always took them as well we even have toys you can borrow for the kids which I thought was great becasue they would have reading groups for the little ones and I could sit and read.

I too am proud to be a geek I wouldn't be without my books.

Have Fun
Helen

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Toys to loan?!?! Helen, that is a GREAT idea! I don't think we had that when I was a kid, nor when my son was little. They might now, I honestly don't go into the children's section of the library any more. :-P Maybe I should!

AC

Helen said...

Maybe you should LOL they didn't have them when I was young but when my kids were little they did and they got to play with some awesome expensive toys that I could never afford which was great and as I said I would take them every 2 weeks to change them and the library would have a reading group for the little ones and it gave me about 1 hour to sit and read in peace you gotta love that

Have Fun
Helen

Jane said...

I love the library. We have a pretty great library system here. I try to visit once a week to pick books I've ordered. Many of the books I borrow are hardcovers because they're too expensive to buy.

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Hey Helen,
With 4 little ones that 1 hour of quiet reading time must have been worth its weight in GOLD!

AC

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Jane,
I LOVE the NYC library with the Lions out front! What a gorgeous building! That library was in the disaster flick "The Day After Tomorrow" where everything froze. Pretty dumb movie but some great effects!

AC