I grew up in Tennessee and one of my most favorite places on earth was the Linebaugh Library. Before it was in the gorgeous edifice it is in now, it was in an old crumbling, whitewashed building. You walked up a flight of stairs to enter the library and pulled open a heavy door. It smelled old inside. The children's section was in the basement where it smelled even older. At times we had to step around strategically placed buckets that collected water dripping from the ceiling. It was a library that stressed the importance of quiet. My family was frequently "shooshed" there.
Attending story time was always a treat and was my first introduction to Punch and Judy. Strange characters. Participating in the reading program was a highlight every summer. They gave the best prizes for books read. It was in that library that I met Tecumseh, Martha Washington, Sacajawea, Elizabeth Blackwell, Florence Nightingale, John Adams, Pocahontas, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan and countless others. I uncovered mysteries with Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames. I settled the American West with A Lantern in Her Hand and Little House on the Prairie. I was one of the girls in The Babysitter's Club. I traveled to India with the pint sized hero of The Cucumber Stem. I traveled to Africa and felt the ground shake when Abiyoyo scooped up and swallowed cows whole. I laughed every time Amelia Bedelia very literally completed every task she was given. I cheered when the educated Crictor wrapped himself around a burglar. I fell off cliffs, jumped out of planes, and was bitten by snakes in Choose Your Own Adventure. I was under siege in Atlanta in Gone with the Wind. And I shivered with the satisfyingly supernatural in Goosebumps.
The library opened a world of possibilities, knowledge, and adventures. I am grateful my Mom consistently took me to the most wonderful place on earth.
One summer I won a drawing for a Linebaugh Library t-shirt. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was ten. I have carried that shirt with me for thirty years and have never worn it. It was too precious. And I was saving it for a special occasion. It was far too special for every day wear. When I got pregnant my weight changed and I realized I may have waited too long, but I recently pulled it out and breathed a sigh of relief. It fits again. I had a moment of pure joy wearing that shirt and holding Goosebump books M checked out from our local library.
I hope my kids gain their own love of the library. Maybe not enough to carry an unworn shirt for thirty years, but the equivalent of that...
Attending story time was always a treat and was my first introduction to Punch and Judy. Strange characters. Participating in the reading program was a highlight every summer. They gave the best prizes for books read. It was in that library that I met Tecumseh, Martha Washington, Sacajawea, Elizabeth Blackwell, Florence Nightingale, John Adams, Pocahontas, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan and countless others. I uncovered mysteries with Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames. I settled the American West with A Lantern in Her Hand and Little House on the Prairie. I was one of the girls in The Babysitter's Club. I traveled to India with the pint sized hero of The Cucumber Stem. I traveled to Africa and felt the ground shake when Abiyoyo scooped up and swallowed cows whole. I laughed every time Amelia Bedelia very literally completed every task she was given. I cheered when the educated Crictor wrapped himself around a burglar. I fell off cliffs, jumped out of planes, and was bitten by snakes in Choose Your Own Adventure. I was under siege in Atlanta in Gone with the Wind. And I shivered with the satisfyingly supernatural in Goosebumps.
The library opened a world of possibilities, knowledge, and adventures. I am grateful my Mom consistently took me to the most wonderful place on earth.
One summer I won a drawing for a Linebaugh Library t-shirt. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was ten. I have carried that shirt with me for thirty years and have never worn it. It was too precious. And I was saving it for a special occasion. It was far too special for every day wear. When I got pregnant my weight changed and I realized I may have waited too long, but I recently pulled it out and breathed a sigh of relief. It fits again. I had a moment of pure joy wearing that shirt and holding Goosebump books M checked out from our local library.
I'm going to start wearing this more often.
I hope my kids gain their own love of the library. Maybe not enough to carry an unworn shirt for thirty years, but the equivalent of that...
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