Library Books Read-A-Thon Day 2: Sharing My Library Story

Over at Rachel Turns Pages, Rachel is sharing her own library story. I think that's a great idea, so I'll do the same.

My first experience with the library was in the small town of Andalusia, Alabama. I was 4 or 5 years old and my Daddy took me to the public library and introduced me to the librarian. I don't remember getting a library card, as such. Maybe I did and he kept it for me, and maybe not. It was a really small town, after all. The only thing I really remember from this visit is that Daddy told the librarian that he didn't want her to direct me only to the kids books. I was to be allowed to check out any book in the library and if it was too difficult for me, I'd figure it out.

Several weeks later, my grandmother took me to the library and I proudly walked up to the desk with the book I wanted to take home, only to have the librarian tell me that I couldn't check it out. I stamped my feet and loudly proclaimed that “my Daddy said I could have any book I wanted.” She wound up getting my Daddy on the phone and having HIM explain to me that NO ONE was allowed to check out a volume of the encyclopedia.

I was a precocious reader. I remember reading Little Golden Books at age 3 and 4. By the time I started 1st grade, I was reading at a 3rd grade level and my teacher gave me a shelf in the room for my own books from home so I'd have something to read while the rest of the class was finishing their work. I made a lot of use of the libraries in my schools, particularly in high school.

During my college years, I didn't actually use the library very much for anything other than my classes. I spent all my available money on books and I even had a small “library” of paperback books stored under my bed in the dorm.

In my adult years, as we have moved from town to town, the first place I check out is the public library. We've lived in a small town in Texas for 10 years and due to my travel for work, the only people I have gotten to know are the librarians and the waitresses at the local diner.

Yesterday, in my goals, I pointed out that use two nearby libraries. The library in my town offers an excellent collection of bound books, audiobooks, movies, and research materials. They also have 3 or 4 public computers and offer a Wi-Fi hot spot for your laptops, tablets, and smart phones. When I want a book which isn't in their collection, the librarians will locate a copy for me. If the book is available from a member of the regional library consortium, it will be shipped to my library at no cost to me. If no member of the consortium owns a copy, the librarian will order it through InterLibrary Loan and I have to pay the postage. This service makes it possible for me to get just about any book that I might want to read.

I've now finished a second library book—this one read entirely during the read-a-thon. During breakfast, I finished reading Sub-Human by David Simpson. This book was borrowed from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library at Amazon. I'm going to shift to the Cecelia and Kate series that I checked out from the Freading service offered by my local library. And, yesterday, I received a notification from my library that a copy of Nevada Barr's Burn is waiting for me. I'll be back in town late Thursday night and will pick up this book on Friday morning, so I'm adding this book to my goals for the read-a-thon.

Library books finished during the read-a-thon

Library books I plan to read during the read-a-thon