Where Do You Want to Go? A Book Can Take You

By Vanessa M. 

My parents were big believers in reading and its role in education – not just traditional education, but self-guided: the experiences, perspective, and communication advantages that come from being well-read. There were always stacks of books around the house. We took full advantage of our library – it would have been unaffordable to buy that many books each week.

My literary interests hopped around the world. At one point I was obsessed with the North Pole. Then Cambridge. Then India. The library always had books to take me where I wanted to go. We actually traveled as well, but many places I’ve only experienced through books. In college, I used medieval primary texts. I never would have had access to these outside of a library. It was simply amazing to smell, see, and feel a book that old.

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Library Equals Liberty

By Joel B.  Growing up my only access to a wide variety of information was the library. Book reports, speeches and studying for final exams happened at the library. It’s a place where you know the environment is curated for learning, focus and exploration. Now being a father of two children going through school I … Read more

Libraries in My Life

By Leslie T.  When I was a child, my family had a biweekly ritual: We would all go to the library, where we spent hours looking for books on every subject-from the mainstream to the obscure. When we got home, we would each spend the rest of the day reading, sharing ideas or just phrases … Read more

Charlie Bucket and Me

By Debbie P.  I loved “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” I read it over and over as a child, Checking it out from the public library, and when I was finished, I would check it out from my school library/bookmobile. Every Friday we would go to town, and while my mother was grocery shopping, I … Read more

High School Dropout to Lawyer: A Library Success Story

By Carol S.

This is my father’s story: He was a high school dropout. Although he loved to read, he didn’t like school, so he would frequently ditch class and hide out at the Detroit Public Library, devouring books until the truant officer found him and dragged him back to school. Eventually he dropped out of school altogether in order to work. (This was during the Great Depression, and his family necessarily valued employment over education.)

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My Home Office

By Emily S.

As a District Sales Manager for Cengage Learning who doesn’t report to an official office space, I was finding it difficult to accomplish much in my home office. Distractions like laundry and tidying the house kept me from being as productive as I knew I could and should be. I ventured out to my local library and found exactly what I needed-a space that allowed me serenity, the luxury of turning my phone ringer off, and a place that encouraged thinking. I was able to stay focused and there was something about being surrounded by books written by high level thinkers that helped me raise my game. I was able to accomplish more in a 5 hour clip than most people I know who were reporting to an office for 10 hours.

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My Library Rocks!

By Eleanor R.  My kids and I moved to America 6 years ago. We knew no one except my husband and his family. Through programs offered by our library (storytimes, book clubs, craft programs, movie nights and other themed events) we met people. We engaged and we became part of a community. It became an … Read more