October 2018 is Canadian Library Month and today during Ontario Public Library Week, I applaud the creation of all the libraries I’ve visited including several across the country in other provinces. As the celebration poster states, “A Visit Will Get You Thinking”.
This Monday at a southwestern Ontario library branch, I received a pink papered heart and was encouraged to write down why I valued public libraries. Yes, it got me thinking as my mind drifted over the Ontario-Manitoba border towards a “Not-so-little library on the prairie”.*
Oh, how our libraries have changed: more open spaces, more natural light like the new Gaynor Family Regional Library!
During my childhood on the prairies, one of my goals was to read every book in our house including my parent’s collection of Reader’s Digest and a musty 1926 – 24-volume set of encyclopedia entitled The Book of Knowledge. In the winter, I would hibernate with second hand novels in my bedroom. In the summer, I would sit in a tree in our backyard and devour each paragraph and chapter until it was time for supper.
However, when the family’s limited supply of books was depleted, I turned to the local high school where part of the community library’s holdings were shelved in a temporary space. Despite not having a permanent home, these books opened up new worlds for me and once again I vowed to read every word ever written. (I’m still working on that!)
Oh, how our libraries have evolved: a gathering place for like-minded souls.
If books are friends then libraries are safe places filled with unique experiences and personalities. One of my joys of travelling is to stop at a neighbourhood library and explore the local history and culture. I can often predict what a city or town or village is like from the book treasures stored on its library shelves.
A warm welcoming place for the community!
Some have become community centres listening to the patron’s needs by offering programs and services unheard of before….like knitting classes and Lego building groups for children.
Kites Without Strings 