I love books. I love to read.
I like bookstores.
I LOVE libraries.
For me, libraries are magic. They’re full of old books and new ones. You never know what you’re going to find there. You never know who you’ll meet there.
I believe libraries are very important to communities for many reasons, but I’ll tell you a few off the top of my head.
1. A safe place for kids to go after school or during breaks to read, have tutoring sessions, use the computers, or do homework.
2. A place where people without home computers can use the library computer to do a job search, send some emails, or browse the internet.
3. A place where local authors can hold a book signing or “meet-n-greet” with the community.
4. A place to hold fun community events for kids, such as crafts, Lego building contests, pumpkin painting, and more!
My local library, Frank J. Basloe Library in Herkimer, holds a once-a-month book club. They have a Lego club for kids and a day where adults can chat while working on their crafts. And SO MUCH MORE.
Honestly, I wouldn’t read as much as I do without my library.
It’s not just my local library that I love. One of my favorite libraries is the Utica Public Library in Utica, NY, only about 25-30 minutes from where I live. That library is absolutely GRAND. Marble floors, a second and third floor, pillars…it’s beautiful.
And guess what? My friend and fellow author, Mindy Macisco, published a book about the Utica library. It’s a super cute and fun book about a little girl with a big imagination, and her favorite library is…you guessed it. The Utica library!
The book is called Lucy's Utica Library Adventure and can be found on Amazon, and Mindy would love positive Amazon and Goodreads reviews.
Mindy has also written other children's books (also found on Amazon): Pasquale's New Friends and They Call Me Rockefeller.
Do you love and support your local library? What are some things you like about libraries?
I love libraries! Always have. I remember going to the library as a child and picking out a huge stack of books to take home. ❤️
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE my Towne Library!! Mainly because the fiction section is HUGE. They use 2 shelves for "new" books meaning the latest releases. Those are only allowed to be out for 2 weeks BUT they let you renew it for another 2 if no one is waiting for it. The older books can be borrowed for 3 weeks and renewed 3 times. Also they participate in the Upper Hudson Library system so if a book I request isn't available in Colonie, they will get it from Albany for example or from Cohoes etc.
ReplyDeleteI love libraries for all of the reasons you mention. Now if mine just had a coffee cafe (which they were thinking about but .....nope....) that would be even cooler!! We do have vending machines but i don't drink soda so.....
I also love that we have online accounts so renewing books is super easy AND I can put in several requests and they call me when the books are ready for pick up.
I love libraries in big cities too because sometimes the architecture is so cool and less modern than the suburban ones (at least around here). One of my very fave libraries in a city is the Boston one. I remember spending many afternoons browsing at the Herkimer library way back in the day when it was in a different location and was in an old Victorian style house on Main Street. WHen I was in high school is when the new (current) one opened.
great post!!