This series invites people to share how libraries and reading have influenced their lives. Read other stories here.
One of my earliest memories is at the library. I remember sitting among the overflowing stacks of the children’s room (overflowing because the library had outgrown its space and was getting ready to move to a bigger building) and feeling a sense of being cozy and warm like nowhere else. I was reading a picture book version of The Little Drummer Boy. It was dark outside, maybe snowing, but inside the light was golden and the books were endless.
A childhood spent at the library
I remember my grandfather taking me to weekly storytimes at that new library and the fingerplays our children’s librarian, Ms. Downes, taught us. I made my first friend at those storytimes. Sandy and I saw each other each week at the library and were so excited to learn we would also be going to kindergarten together.
Each year in elementary school my library hosted an art display of works students had made in school. It seemed so fancy to go to the library at night with my whole family to see my project displayed. To me, it felt like a gallery showing. There were even appetizers!
In middle school my mom would take me to the library every week and leave me to my own devices. It was so calming to browse the shelves and pull out any book that caught my eye. My entire book recommendation process back then was just reading the cover and first page to see if it sounded interesting. Although at some point I learned to look for books with the sci-fi label on the spine. I’d leave with a stack of books and be reading one of them before my mom had even pulled out of the parking lot. I spent a lot of time reading library books curled up on my hot pink bean bag. It was my favorite thing to do.
As a teen I took a babysitting certification class at the library and got my first job as a babysitter. I completed the summer reading challenge and participated in the book discussion for extra credit each year. I went to the library for research and to make copies.
When I moved to Las Vegas after college, I made sure to find the public library the first week I was there and get a library card. I didn’t know anyone in the city, but I knew I could count on the library. The first book I checked out in Las Vegas was East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Why do I remember that?
From library patron to library employee to library mom
Visiting the Las Vegas library’s website as a patron is how I came to work in libraries. I saw a link for Library Careers and (should I admit this?), thought, 'Huh, can you get paid to work in the library?' You can... and eventually, I did! I started a whole career that I love in libraries. And I made more friends there — shoutout to the Super Awesome Hiking Librarians.
My son attended his first Baby Storytime at the library at 8 weeks old. I was so happy to get out of the house! I mean, to introduce him to the wonderful world of the library.
Today I live within walking distance of a library and regularly visit with and without my kids to get us all reading material. Union County Library, if you’re reading this don’t look me up! I’m sure I have overdue items. My older son likes to visit the library on his own and my younger son can’t wait until he’s old enough to go alone too.
A library life
None of these memories are particularly earthshattering or unique. Thousands and thousands of children attend storytime every week, and friends are surely made. Libraries partner with schools for art exhibits, back to school open houses, and more all the time. New cardholders are welcomed every day. My kids read books on our (2 minute) drive home. And yet, mine is a life shaped for the better at every age by the library.
The power of libraries is hard to quantify. We’re quick to count the number of books checked out, but how do you measure the horizons broadened, the empathy gained, or the lessons learned from even one of those books? We track program attendance, but how do you report on the number of friends made at a craft program, the support given to a new parent at storytime, or the confidence a teen gains from volunteering?
My past libraries, West Deptford Free Public Library, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library continue to be a part of who I am, long after I stopped contributing to their stats. How could they possibly count lives irrevocably changed? Looking back, I see that libraries didn’t just fill my shelves with books, they filled my life with connection, confidence, and countless quiet transformations. So, I’ll end by saying thank you. Thank you to all the libraries everywhere who routinely, humbly, but ever so importantly, touch so many lives. I would not be the same without you.
Lauren Campbell is a Senior Readers' Advisory Librarian at NoveList. She is currently reading Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill.
