My first library was 3 walls of an 8' x 10' alcove in the corner of our
rural one-room schoolhouse. Unable to read even into the 4th grade,
that year's more perceptive teacher called in the county health nurse to
do eye exams. I got glasses the following summer, read the library the
next year (including the encyclopedia AND the dictionary), and then,
wonder of wonders, discovered the bookmobile. I still have a picture in
my mind's eye of a battered old novel (light blue cover, faded spine,
about a knight in Constantinople) falling open in my hands, and finally
recognizing the thingys on the paper. That was 42 years ago.
Stephen Van Buren
Brookings, SD
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Maggie Harrer
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Request for Help - Library Tales
Dear Friends,
This is a bit unorthodox perhaps, but for a fund raiser for a library, I
am
collecting what we are calling "Library Tales." These are short
reminiscences
of your personal memories, perhaps earliest personal memories, of a
specific
library and its impact on you. We are planning to collect the stories
and
publish them as a fund raiser and education piece on the importance of
libraries.
I would be so grateful if you would take a minute to write a short
recollection, if you have one you would like to share, sign it, give me
your current
residence (town and state is enough), possibly your age range (not
required) and
send it to me. We are finding that these stories are wonderful and as
the two
I've included below are from folks who are long past childhood, it
proves the
lasting impact of libraries.
I would also appreciate your sharing this e-mail with anyone who might
find
this rewarding and be willing to support a library with a memory. I've
included a short sample at the end, to give you an idea.
I would also be happy to share the results with anyone interested.
Thank you in advance for your help with this worthy project.
Sincerely,
Maggie L. Harrer
Oradell, NJ
LIBRARY TALES
Sample One: When I grew up in a small town in Iowa, the most important
influence on my life was our Carnegie Library where stories were read
to me by
the sweetest of librarians until I could read myself. And then, oh
wondrous
day, when I could finally sign my own name - I got my VERY OWN library
card!!! I
still remember that moment...it was as if all the wonders of the world
had
been handed to me in that little card!! I remember walking home,
clutching it,
and showing it to my parents with great pride. More importantly, I used
it
frequently and well. I have never forgotten that library, its
children's
reading room, and that lovely librarian. I've even taken my own
daughter to see it
and shared with her the wonder I felt there.
SAMPLE TWO:
I, too, remember my first library. It was a tiny place, a corner
storefront
actually, and located in the next neighborhood so it was a long walk
for a
little kid. My mom would take me there. She loved to read. From the
time she
was a little girl to the end of her life she consumed books.
I remember the little stools that were just the right height for a tike
to
sit on. Most of all I remember the smell of the place. There was
something
special and inviting about the odor of a library: the paper, the ink,
the book
bindings, the wooden cabinets. I love to visit old libraries and hope
that
they still have that particular aroma. The
librarians had pencils with a metal attachment at the eraser end that
held
a little date stamp which they'd mark the due date in the book..
I remember getting my first card, too. I had to print my name and then
I
could take out two books at a time. I felt pretty important as it gave
me the
same rights as a grown-up.
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