B.P., Wynnewood

Last weekend my son was home for Thanksgiving and came with me as I returned some books to the Ardmore Library. As we pulled into the parking lot, he looked up and said nostalgically, "I remember this library and the nice librarian who helped me with my science projects."

We walked up to the counter, and my son smiled as he saw his "nice librarian" again some twelve years later. Peggy Newman was smiling, too, as usual, and warmly greeted her returning young patron. She also remembered my son and his frequent pre-Internet visits to do research on assorted assignments.

As Peggy Newman and my son chatted and got caught up on his high school and college years, I thought of my own relationship with Peggy over the past several years. At first it was story hour with a toddler, then research help for a school boy, followed by a book club for an empty-nester, and now sharing resources, stories, and support as we each care for our aging mothers across the miles.

Over the years, my librarian has become my friend. She is more than a knowledgeable reference and book referral source, more than an organizer of community activities, provider of English language lessons, Kitchen fund-raising tours, or master of new technologies. She is all of this plus a nurturer of curiosity, developer of minds, and builder of community.