By Ryan Price
In October of 1893, General Roy Stone, a Civil War hero and roads advocate, was appointed to be in charge of the new Office of Road Inquiry (ORI) within the Department of Agriculture. With a budget of $10,000, ORI promoted new rural road development to serve the wagons, coaches, and bicycles on America’s dirt roads.
Read moreThe History of Transcontinental Travel Part 2: Wheels and Wings
By Katelyn H. As a child, I was a voracious reader, and the library was thankfully an easy walk from our house. By the time I hit high school, it became something else: my first employer. I was drawn to the work for less than noble reasons, as I was mostly interested in a job … Read more
By Ambar A. My first impression of an actual library outside of school was when I was 12. My best friend sparked an interest in books with me when she gave me one about dogs as a birthday gift. She convinced me to start “hanging out” at the library instead of the mall by telling me … Read more
By Corrine L. As an MLIS graduate student, one of the first questions we were asked in our foundations class was “What Is A Library?” A pretty straightforward answer, right? That’s what most of the class thought until an hour-long debate about whether ancient cave paintings actually constituted a library or not. What I’ve loved … Read more
By Chris J.
My first experience with a library was the bookmobile that would come around in the summer when I was a child in Cincinnati, Ohio. Seeing it come down the street was more exciting than the ice cream truck! We would be so excited to pick out a few books to read until the bookmobile would return! The librarian was always helpful in suggesting something she thought we would like too.
By Catherine M.
I, among some other thousands of library visitors of all ages, benefit by enjoying traditional books, e-books, computer classes, DVDs and CDs. Visitors research, read, share, learn, attend quality programs and use information for lifelong learning and leisure pursuits.
By Jessica D.
I was lucky enough to have been raised by a mother who was steeped in reading from a young age. Given that, she surrounded us with books, magazines, newspapers. Not only did she volunteer in our school library, but she made weekly trips to the library a necessity in our house. We’d enter and my sister and I would make our way into the children’s section. Usually, I’d head straight to find “my” copy of Molly Bang’s The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher and my older sister would search out for “her” A Cache of Jewels. My mother signed us up for every summer reading program and we’d meticulously track our reading and books.
By Bernice C. Most of my friends think I was probably born in a library and live there, but I actually have a family and live on a farm. The truth is that libraries became my mission in life, as I found them a special haven whenever I needed one. I vaguely remember my first … Read more
By Tina M. When my son was three, he had a seizure, and then another. I took him to our family doctor, who prescribed some medication, but was not an expert on seizure disorder. We ended up at the shrine hospital in Chicago, where a no-nonsense pediatric neurologist told me I must become the expert, … Read more