Tell Us Your Library Story

J.C., Bryn Mawr

2009-12-11T09:57:00.001-05:00

I have to say that Ludington library has always been MY library, even though I live in Radnor Township. I have felt the “welcoming call” of the great Ludington. In the face of, let’s say, unpleasant patrons, I have seen the staff there act with the utmost professionalism. I feel that over the years I have developed a relationship with the staff and I am continually amazed at their composure under extreme pressure. Since frequenting Ludington, I admit to observing several incidents where trouble was “a brewin’” but, as always, it was handled in the most appropriate way possible. From having on of my close friend, Jackie, work there for three years under her great boss, Susan, I know there is so much work behind the scenes. You offer so much help to the whole community, which some of us do not take for granted. My heartfelt thanks and praise to the whole staff for allowing me to “shop” there and for making it look so easy. Thank you for being MY library.

B.W., Haverford

2009-12-07T14:21:00.001-05:00

When I think about “my Ludington,” it is not so much a particular story that comes to mind but a feeling that comes to heart…love.

Ever since I had our son 8 years ago, the library has become “our place.” I walk through those doors and the “feeling” comes back…a mixture of excitement, warmth, hope, love and endless possibility…like chocolate or warm pajamas or a great party or the first day of camp…I can’t wait!

I can’t wait to share a smile and a warm hello with everyone at the front desk. I can’t wait to scan the picks on the shelf that I don’t have time to read, but sometimes checkout anyway. I can’t wait to have something to look up and get lost in a whole category or world I did not know about before today.

But most of all, I can’t wait to tear up the stairs after our son to the children’s department…the coziest hug of people on the Main Line gathered in one place. Gail, Roseanne and Laurent, you guys are “My Library Story” and Thomas’ too. It really is “My Gratitude Story,” for I am so, so grateful for each and every moment. I am grateful you guys welcomed me when I was a new mom and made me laugh at the BEST story hour ever! Laughter was hard to come by when sleep was scarce.

I am grateful to you guys for always finding the perfect book or answer (or both) to a pressing question and teaching Thomas to tie his shoes. I am grateful to you guys for offering wonderful advice on just about anything (recipes too) or a safe haven from blazing summer days and cold rainy afternoons. “My Library Story” is not about the building but its true heart, or hearts, who reside on the second floor. Thank you guys for being inspirations and friends, not just to me, but to countless “me’s” that you didn’t even realize needed you or thought you were so super…’cause you are.

So that is why I am always jazzed to stop at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Lancaster. You open those doors and, like opening a book, you never know but the whole trajectory of your life could, can and has changed…always for the better.

Love you, Ludington.

A.W., Bala Cynwyd

2009-12-07T09:34:00.002-05:00

I love books and reading. That is why I love the library. Every time I go there, I find interesting books. Another reason I love the library is because it provides a lot of different programs. I remember a magician named Eric Paul. He was doing magic at the library. I signed up for a summer science club. I learned about oceanography. I also entered a poem contest. Every year I did the summer reading program. Once I even got a trophy. And who could forget the one you are reading right now. The “Tell Us Your Library Story” contest.

My mom said that we are lucky to have six libraries in our township. We have been visiting all of them since I was a baby. I got my FIRST library card when I was 5. Since then, I have spent a lot of time at the library picking out books. That is how I met a nice library helper. Every time I go to the library, I would draw some pictures with my little brother. Then she would hang them on a window. Once she drew a sketch of me. It looked like me twenty years from now! My big brother said in twenty years there would be no more books. I know that is not true because I know I will always have my library!

R.S., Bryn Mawr

2009-12-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

I am a senior whose love affair with libraries began at the James Pendergrass Free Library in Jamestown, NY. This romance started with a half mile walk through the snow on Saturday morning for the story hour. I would get there about an hour early so that I could look at dinosaur books by Roy Chapman and bird books by Roger Tory Peterson. I remember reading Tomahawk for Trouble by William O. Steele.

Years ago on a trip to Ludington, I went in to select some DVD’s, audiotapes and books for the next week. I will take a few just to enjoy casually or browse others if I think I would like to read them. I came across a large book about Walker Evans, the world-famous photographer. When I looked more closely through the Walker Evans book, I came across three negatives. I also found in the pages, a homemade birthday card made by Diane. Her address was on the back. I called her and explained what I had found and she said that she hadn’t been to the Ludington Library in a long time. Then she remembered, “I know who owns those negatives.”

I took them over to Diane’s home and we started talking. Four hours later, we were still talking. We became boded for life. What a great way to spend a cold February day: making a new friend! I still love the library and visit twice a week. I never know what might happen.

B.P., Wynnewood

2009-12-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

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.

T.H., Wynnewood

2009-12-02T10:14:00.001-05:00

The library is my home away from home. It’s the cozy place I visited so often with my mom when I was a young girl. Holding my hand, she led me to the magical world of make-believe and set me free in it. I still recall the wonder I felt as I beheld the walls of books in the basement of the old Bala Cynwyd Library. So many choices, such endless possibilities--I was transported and still am today. The second I enter a library, a peaceful feeling comes over me. The noise and pressures of the world recede. My breathing relaxes; I’m calmed.

Wandering in alleys of books, I’m excited to spot dear old friends and favorites: Hemingway, Alcott, Austen, Flaubert, among others. Towering over me in 822 is the one I still bow down to--Shakespeare. The sight of past loves, enduring loves awakens in me other happy childhood memories--of sitting in the living room on winter Sundays with my family, a fire burning in the fireplace, classical music playing on the stereo, all of us reading silently to ourselves, contented.

So today when I enter a library, I am welcomed back, the prodigal daughter returned. The smiling, helpful librarians, the worlds of knowledge and adventure bound between covers, the easily navigable web catalogue, are all waiting for me. Like my childhood bedroom, everything is waiting for me, just as I left it. I’m home.

L.F., Narberth

2009-12-01T09:44:00.002-05:00

Story time, story time,
Oh what a fun time!

Since I was two,
This was something, I always wanted to do.

Ludington Library I came to once a week, I heard lots of stories & songs that always made me smile from cheek to cheek.

The library has so many books you could pile them high, From the floor to the sky.

Now that I am eight,
I am reading chapter books, isn’t that great!

Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, Dan Gutman Books, and Rainbow Magic are a few of the best, I just can’t wait to read all of the rest.

My little sister Emily loves it too, & can now pick out books just fine, And when we read them together we have an excellent time.

Ludington Library you are one of my favorite places to be, Soon you’ll be new and I cannot wait to see.

E.S., Ardmore

2009-12-01T09:43:00.002-05:00

The daughter of an English and reading teacher who later became a librarian, I was born into books, reading and libraries. I loved our weekly after-school trips to the library, where I borrowed 7 or 8 at a time, devoured them, and took out another stack at the next visit. I especially loved biographies - I wanted to know why these people were special and important enough for someone to write about their lives - and stories about families. The biographies of Helen Keller and Pocahontas and the All of a Kind Family, Little House on the Prairie and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series were great favorites.

I'm now a regular user of the Ludington Library. I'm drawn to Newberry and Caldecott winners children's books, adult fiction, books on all kinds of crafts, music CD's, and audiobooks. I may be in my car racing along a highway, but when I listen to an audiobook I have the same pleasure I had as a child when a story was read to me.

Libraries are free. They are about sharing, being responsible for what you take out, and about community. There are notices and opportunities on bulletin boards, concerts and discussions, tax information at tax time. There are computers. The librarians and staff are ready to help. One can wander and browse, focus, study, read, and think about anything and everything. Mostly, of course, there are the books, all the wonderful books.

L.M., Ardmore

2009-11-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

My library story began when I was a little girl in Wilmington, Delaware, with my mom and a pile of books. Every week, she would take me to the local library, where I would pick out my favorite titles from the children’s section. My stack of books was almost as tall as me yet each week we would come back for more. As I grew older, my love of reading continued to grow but sadly, I didn’t use the library as often. I still read all the time but found my books elsewhere.

But then in 2007, my husband, daughter and I moved to Ardmore and I soon discovered the Lower Merion Library system. This renewed my love affair with the library and I honestly can’t imagine how I ever survived without it. The library is so many things to me: a place to sit and read a magazine, a morning out with my two young children for story time and the place where I pick up new books for my family. It’s also about convenience; I reserve my books online and get a call when they’re ready for check-out. And most important, it’s a place where I can relax; any time that I walk into the library, I immediately feel a sense of calm.

My mom is no longer here but I know that she would be proud to know that I’m still reading – and her grandchildren are too.

R.S., Ardmore

2009-11-30T09:30:00.002-05:00

How appropriate to have a statue of Christoper Columbus grace the grounds of Ludington Library. As a recently revitalized songwriter I find it's at the Lower Merion libraries that I, too, am exploring new vistas, discovering new horizons. Only, I do it at the Ludington library through books, DVD's and the computer.

Lately, I've discovered a new talent. I write songs on the library's computers. It was here I composed "We Are Moving," one of the winners of the prestigious Philadelphia Songwriters Project contest. I owe a boatload of gratitude to the reference-desk women for aiding me in my search for reference books designed to help songwriters.

My fondest library memory was a recent song I composed at Ludington for my wife as a surprise birthday gift, called "No Room For Words." The song expresses my intense love feelings for her after 30-plus exciting years of marriage. She was very touched by this song and its sentiment.

I am thankful the library affords me the creative space to write these songs. I find that creativity literally sparkles in the silent air of the library--I visit the library, and soon it's "Snap, Crackle, Pop!"--I've another writing idea. The library has helped me to restore my creative soul.

I've discovered a new interest in libraries and life. My current motto is:
"There's no shelf-life on creativity. No expiration date on dreams."

S.L.J., Brooklyn

2009-11-30T09:29:00.003-05:00

At three-and-a-half years old, my mother took me to Story Hour at the then-newly-refurbished Ardmore Library. I was one of the "enchanted faces" that participated in the pre-school storytime, although I was also "one listener at story hour [who] would rather read to herself," as the Main Line Times noticed, in their June 17, 1971 photo essay. Now at 42, I have a 6-year daughter and a two-and-a-half year old son who also delight in storytime at our local library. Their grandmother, my mother, also serves as a librarian in Merion and together we share a love of reading...and libraries.

A.A., Haverford

2009-11-30T09:29:00.001-05:00

Many years ago before the war, when I was nine, my family moved to Wynnewood. My mother took me to Ludington – a small square, stone building, managed alone as best as I could tell, by a formidable well-built woman with her straight grey hair pulled back in a bun. She perched on a stool. She never smiled yet she didn’t really frown, she just looked implacable and aloof.

I would push my books up on the counter and she would remove the card from the backs, pick up another dog-eared card loaded with old dates, bang a metal rotating date stamp into a purple ink pad and stamp the cards for my books. She helped located books, she answered the phone and answered questions but she never looked hurried.

Through the years I have watched Ludington expand but it didn’t destroy that first building, it just wrapped around it and encased it like a Mayan pyramid. And Ludington worked harder – added books on tape and masses of DVDs. Tutors appeared helping wiggly students at small tables.

Now I can reserve my books by phone or on my computer and I can check if a DVD is available before I leave my home. The librarians are younger. Once I counted four at a time checking out books electronically. They smile too.

Books have moved about; fiction has seemed particularly restless. Nonfiction out ran it. Not fiction fits into that original stone building. If you look closely, you will see an original stone wall there where my first librarian presided.

D.A., Bala Cynwyd

2009-11-30T09:28:00.005-05:00

I moved to Bala Cynwyd from West Philadelphia three years ago. One of the first things our family did was visit the Bala Cynwyd Library. I remember thinking that this library was the largest that I had ever seen. I especially remember my encounter with the librarian on that first day.

Back then, I was at the stage where I could never find an interesting book to read. I would walk down the aisles of books with a lost expression on my face. The librarian saw me wandering in the library. She asked me, “Do you need help?”

“Yes,” I replied shyly, “I can’t seem to find a book that I want to read.”

“What kinds of book do you like to read?” she asked.

“I like historical fiction, like Little Women.” I replied rather proudly.

She laughed and said, “Oh, then I have the perfect books for you.” She led me towards the back of the library, a place I had not noticed before. She showed me two series of books called My Dear America and The Princess Diaries. I thanked the librarian and checked out one book from each series.

I read these books and really enjoyed them. Now reading has become a favorite hobby of mine. I have moved on to read many other kinds of books. But I have never forgotten my first day in the library when the librarian was so kind to me.

N.A., Bala Cynwyd

2009-11-30T09:28:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl, her big sister and their grandmother. Grandma was visiting from India. Every few days, the little girl, the big sister and Grandma walked to the Bala Cynwyd Library. When they reached the library, Grandma would find Spanish picture books (because she wanted to learn Spanish) and the little girl and her big sister would lie down on the windowsill bench and read. They loved the library was because it was cool and comfortable in the summer and full of all kinds of exciting books.

Grandma was very chatty. She made friends with the librarians. The librarians would help her find Spanish picture books. The librarians also recommended books to the girls. The little girl and the big sister kept a reading log. When they turned in their reading logs, they would each get a prize from the prize box. The box was filled with erasers, pencils, coloring books, crayons, markers, and more. The girls took awhile to choose their prizes. First the big sister shoved the little girl, and then the little girl pushed back. The librarian found that very funny.

Later the little girl, the big sister and Grandma happily walked home. As soon as the girls skipped through the door of their house, they ran up to their rooms at top speed, knocking each other into the wall. That's how much they wanted to read the books they had brought from the library.

C.S., Bryn Mawr

2009-11-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

I love the library because we can get DVDs and there are so many books in the library. There are fat ones, skinny ones, big ones too. There are more books in the library than a book store or a book fair. Best of all, we get them free at the library. The more you get books at the library, the more you read library books you get to learn about better and better things. One time I read a book called Pencil and another book called Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime and I learned more about books. I love books because they take us more places about the book I am reading. I love the library because you can get the books that are nice for me and nice for you. I like chapter books and I don’t have any chapter books. They are the best. I love them. I read them once and I read them twice. I like any books not so easy and not so hard but there are great books for me. Just good books are best. I love them best. I love books because they make me smart. I love books. That is why I read them everyday. I love books because they are so nice forever. I love everything in the library.

S.R., Gladwyne

2009-11-09T12:22:00.003-05:00

School was to begin in one week when a moving van rolled up our street. My boys and I made cookies and went to visit the following day. A big family had moved in, we took a moment to say hello to our new neighbors.

One quiet girl did not join in, instead she read. Harry, my son, a big reader, was the new kid only 5 months before. He carefully watched the shy reader. We said our goodbyes; Harry took a few steps and turned back.

“Rose,” Harry addressed the girl, “You like books?” Still not speaking, Rose nodded. Taking her book, Harry inspected it.

“I read that. Good series. You worried about Gladwyne?” He asked. Rose finally looked up at the prying boy.

“I was worried.” Harry continued, handing the book back, “Swarms of people. Kids asking you stuff. Rules you don’t know. Figuring out where to sit at lunch is bad, recess is worse.”

Rose spoke, “Recess is bad.”

Harry understood one shy reader to another. He explained; “You don’t have to worry about Gladwyne. Mrs. Gross is the librarian. She’ll just see you and know you’re a reader. Walk in and she’ll hand you the book you always wanted to read and didn’t know about. Being quiet is ok, you don’t have to ask, she knows. Plus, she’ll let you shelve books, for fun, even during recess, if you want. Or you can just read there. The library’s the best.”

Rose simply beamed.

C.F., Bryn Mawr

2009-11-02T11:55:00.001-05:00

The Ludington Library is one of my favorite places to hang out on the Main Line in Bryn Mawr. It's friendly atmosphere, convenience and extraordinary staff attracts visitors from all walks of life.

First of all:

I see the same friendly faces almost every time I visit, and believe it or not, I can be seen there, sometimes two times in one day. Most of the time I am using the computer, borrowing or reserving books and or borrowing new DVD releases (all free of charge).

Secondly:

I am an employee of Bryn Mawr Hospital and this is where all of my lunch time is spent. "There must be something going on at Ludington," a co-worker once said. Yes there is something going on!

Thirdly:

The staff at this library is extraordinary. They are knowledgeable, courteous and always wiling to assist patron whether its answering questions, giving directions, locating books or identifying relevant reference materials. They go beyond the call of duty and I am utterly impressed by their professionalism. I want to conclude this note by saying "Thank you" to the staff at Ludington Library and to let you know that your services are sincerely appreciated.

A.A., Penn Valley

2009-10-06T10:13:00.001-04:00

To me the library is like Cheers, because everyone there knows my name. I feel so welcome and though I cannot tell you what my credit card number is, I CERTAINLY know my 16 digit library number by heart. All the people who work there are kind, interesting and knowledgeable about books. They support my efforts in getting different books for my 3 children to read, and we exchange book reviews regularly. This description is only one level of what the library means to me. It is also the FEELING I get whenever I walk in those doors--I am truly happy to be there. I am even happier after the interactions I have when I am there. When I am away, I honestly miss the library, its wonderful inhabitants and its amazing contents. I count on the true feeling of community I receive while there. I consider myself blessed to know I have a place at the Bala Cynwyd library. We are all lucky to have the library, since there are still places all over the world that have nothing, no resources, no books, no place to study or learn, no refuge, no sanctuary. Because we have a wealth of resources here, it has made my family able to donate our books, both locally and globally. We do not take this for granted. The library gives to us, so we can give to others. We pay it forward.

E.R., Michigan

2009-10-05T09:21:00.002-04:00

When my twin sister and I were growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, we lived five houses from the corner. On that corner was a branch of the Cleveland Public Library. Every morning during summer vacation, we would pick up at least four books apiece, come home, sit on our porch, read all the books, and then go back to the library late in the afternoon. Of course we wanted more books. The frustrated librarians moaned, "Please, girls, give us at least ONE day to circulate the books!" But they let us have more anyway. During that same time, our parents rented a summer cottage for two weeks on the shores of Lake Erie. It was our job to go with our dad to the library and get enough books for all of us to read aloud to each other on the beach. It didn't matter whether the books were for adults or kids, we read them all. Talk about a way to foster a lifelong love of reading!

I am so proud of my own role as a board member of my library, the Soutfield Public Library. In 2000 we successfully passed a millage to replace our old library with a brand-new, state-of-the-art masterpiece. It has actually become a tourist attraction in our part of the Detroit metropolitan area.

G.G., Wynnewood

2009-10-05T09:15:00.002-04:00

I love Penn Wynne Library! I like how they have computers and how we get visitors (like the lady with all those crazy pets) and how I see my friends when I go.

This summer at Science in the Summer we got to make goop and it was really cool. We made goop from glue and water and other stuff and then we mushed it up and then waited until the end of the science class and then we checked it and it was all gooey. Me and my friends went to Boston's Style and then another friends house to go swimming and we talked about the fun we had making the goop and being in the science class together. We're glad we have our library.

K.S., Narberth

2009-09-25T12:50:00.001-04:00

One of the most pleasant and significant changes to affect my life after moving from West Mount Airy in Philadelphia to Penn Valley in Lower Merion Township more than five years ago has been my patronage of the Lower Merion Township Library System.

Every time I visit a branch or log onto its Web site, I am in awe of the vast array of materials available and services provided. Literature, music, film, culture, and ideas converge and open up to me here. I am fulfilled and enriched every time I borrow material, and now, much to my delight, my children are sharing in the same life- changing experience.

On a practical note, technology allows borrowers to reserve books and other material online, and pick up the material at the front desk of any branch. What a tremendous service! This is the ultimate time saver.

From topics ranging from gardening, travel, pregnancy, exercise, nutrition, and healthy eating to classic texts and great music and film, the library has it all and more.

D. L., Ardmore

2009-09-21T09:18:00.003-04:00

The Bala-Cynwyd library was a life saver for me. My mother died when I was four years old and my family moved to Merion. After being given the great gift of learning to read in 1st Grade at Merion Elementary School, I joined the local library and was on my way to a lifetime of fun, adventure, comfort and escape. Because I never went to camp, the library in the summer was my entertainment and at the same time I stayed cool. I would dream of becoming a librarian. So I would take 4 or 5 books off the shelves, mix them up and make pretend my job was to re-shelve them. My library was a safe haven and a place to escape a "not so nice step-mother." She used to tell me to "stop reading so much." We weren't given counseling just because we had lost a parent.

They built the Wynnefield Branch of the Philadelphia library in 1964 and because it was closer to my house, I spent a lot of time there. The librarian there turned me on to Georgette Heyer and I have never stopped reading her. One time as a punishment, my step- mother took away my library card. But I grew up and I became a mother and I am so happy my daughter also loves to read. I love to read stories to children and encourage them to love their library as much as I always have. It saved my life.

My Love for the Library

2009-08-14T16:17:00.001-04:00

It was only a bike ride away – a short walk in the winter – but when I entered the Bala-Cynwyd Library on Levering Mill Road, I knew I was entering another world. For hours on end I would browse the shelves to find new universes of knowledge, frequently curling up on the floor, or at one of the little tables, to stretch my imagination or discover a new hobby. Reading enlarged my soul, and the smart, patient librarians were ever tolerant of my endless questions and even more endless presence.

I'd gotten the library habit early – at the giant Free Library of Philadelphia. There, I spent precious time in the stacks learning firsthand the meaning of “serendipity” while waiting for one of my parents to collect me after school. It was a little scary being in such a huge building, but I loved that I could find anything my young mind wanted. When we moved to Cherry Bend in Merion, as I entered fourth grade, and I realized that I could get to the library by myself, it was as liberating as getting my driver's license. Now I could go there at will – whenever hockey or basketball or tennis practice didn't interfere – and now I could have my very own card to borrow books. Which I did, over and over and over.

I wish I could remember specifically which books I took out, and which I devoured, but the titles of what we owned and what I had on loan have become conflated over time. But I'm betting the hand-written records of the rubber-stamped cards would include a generous and eclectic selection of subjects from magic tricks to salamander habits, from Nancy Drew to Cherry Ames, from ancient history to modern art. And somehow, the constant fragrance of – what where they, lilies? – made it all so much sweeter, although I would be hard-pressed to tell you whether they were actual flowers or just the lovely perfume on the ladies behind the desk. I can still smell it today. And I am so grateful that it – and the library – were there for me.

- Lynn Sherr, Television Journalist, Author, Eternal Reader

The Fantasist’s Library

2009-08-14T15:38:00.007-04:00

Libraries have long played an essential part in my life. I can, in fact, make the case that it was a library that started me down the path of writing fantasy literature in the first place.

When I was very young my parents would take me every couple weeks to the Des Moines Public Library. This was a huge, imposing building with a central card file the size of some 1960s science fiction computer; and branching off from this central space what seemed like endless rooms filled with books, as well as steps up to another ring of rooms around a balcony from which you could look down and see other people pulling out the skinny card drawers, flipping through the cards, jotting notes with their stubby pencils. It was one of those places where, because nobody was talking, you learned by observing. And there was something arcane and seductive and almost sacred about it.

For a number of years my parents came in and helped me pick out books to read. Mostly I remember coming home with stacks of all the Dr. Seuss you could throw a turtle at. I’m sure there was something else in the mix, but The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins has taken over my memory of that period.

Somewhere along in this process, they just turned me loose to find my own books. I must have been nine or ten when that happened.

The first book I can recall taking out of the library of my own choosing was a retelling of The Odyssey of Homer by one Barbara Leonie Picard. The cover and interior art was by someone named Kidell-Monroe and it was in the style of Greek black figure art off amphorae and pottery. Quite clearly I can remember sitting in a big chair in our living room and just falling into that book like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. Heroes, a cyclops, sirens, Scylla and Charybdis . . . this was not Dr. Seuss. This was the most amazing thing I’d ever encountered, and thereafter all I wanted was more of the same. The fantastic became my meat and drink, so that well before I got to high school I’d already devoured countless science fiction and fantasy novels, short stories, collections and anthologies. I’d already encountered dystopic futures, and epic tales of barbarians, Beowulf and Grendel, Bradbury’s Mars, Heinlein’s space suit, and Jack Williamson’s humanoids.

Some of those came out of the library as well, but I only hold it responsible for that initial selection. It delighted me to find out, ten years back, that Ms. Picard’s rendition of The Odyssey was still in print all these years later. I owe her, big-time.

- Gregory Frost, Local Author

Library Exercise

2009-08-14T15:36:00.010-04:00

I don’t have a library story. But I do have a fun library exercise.

It’s also the perfect remedy for boredom. Give it a try.

Walk into a library – grab a piece of scrap paper and tear it into ten pieces. Number the pieces 0 through 9. Shuffle them. Pick 3 or 4 numbers – for example: 739.

Now simply walk to section 739 in your library and read something from that section. No cheating – you have to stick to that section.

You don’t even have to read an entire book. Sometimes it’s enough to just browse a section you’ve never visited.You never know – it may lead you to discover your next passion.

It works for me – that’s how I got interested in collecting 15^th Century western Italian butterfly milk containers decorated with rare peasant poetry translated into Pig-Latin.

-Gene Barretta, Local Author