"A library is a good place to go when
you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and
comfort." -E.B. White
There’s a scene in my novel THROUGH HER EYES, in which sixteen-year-old Tansy, on her first day at a new high
school, escapes to a remote corner of the library during the lunch hour to
avoid having to eat alone in the cafeteria. When I wrote that scene, I knew
exactly what Tansy was feeling because I once did the very same thing. I moved
to a new city and started a new school at the beginning of my junior year in
high school, and I hid out in the library during my lunch period for the first
several days.
Everything at Amarillo High School
felt foreign and unfamiliar to me – except the library. The second I stepped
into that hushed room full of books, I experienced a sense of calm and comfort.
I’d found the one place in the building where I could let down my guard, relax,
and just be myself. I was surrounded by old friends – the hundreds of
characters I’d come to know through years of reading.
Since then, my fondness for libraries
has only grown stronger. There was a time when I even entertained the idea of
becoming a librarian. I’m sure that career involves stressors that only those
who do the job can understand, but I still fantasize sometimes about spending
my days amongst the shelves and stacks. Such a peaceful workplace seems a
rarity in our hustle-bustle world. But libraries and librarians offer us so
much more than a place of calm. They provide information on a variety of
topics, learning materials, and entertainment. I can spend hours in a library
and never get bored.
Because I can’t imagine life without
libraries, I wondered how they came to be such a fixture in our American
communities so I did a little research. According
to History Magazine:
“The oldest library
in America began with a 400-book donation by a Massachusetts clergyman, John
Harvard, to a new university that eventually honored him by adopting his name.
Another clergyman, Thomas Bray from England, established the first free lending
libraries in the American Colonies in the late 1600s. Subscription libraries -
where member dues paid for book purchases and borrowing privileges were free -
debuted in the 1700s. In 1731, Ben Franklin and others founded the first such
library, the Library Company of Philadelphia. The initial collection of the
Library of Congress was in ashes after the British burned it during the War of
1812. The library bought Thomas Jefferson's vast collection in 1815 and used
that as a foundation to rebuild. It wasn't until waves of immigration and the
philosophy of free public education for children that public libraries spread
in the US. The first public library in the country opened in Peterborough, New
Hampshire, in 1833. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie helped build more than 1,700
public libraries in the US between 1881 and 1919.”
Sometime after the Civil War
(approximately 1876), the American Library Association was founded, and Melvil
Dewey developed and published a method of classifying and organizing materials
within libraries called the Dewey Decimal Classification System. During this
period, the profession of “librarian” became more recognized with Katharine
Sharp’s involvement in the founding of the library school at the University of
Illinois. Mr. Dewey recommended Ms. Sharp for the job, and she is now
considered to be one of the most important library educators in American
history.
In the decades since, libraries have
changed and adapted with the times. Computers, the internet, the e-reader – all
have altered the way libraries operate. But one thing hasn’t changed since the
late 1600’s when the first lending libraries in America opened their doors:
Libraries and librarians strengthen our communities and enrich our lives.
~I am honored to have
been chosen as a Featured Author for The Spirit of Texas Reading Program –
Middle School during the upcoming school year. This Texas Library Association sponsored
program is in its first year. The TLA website states:
“The original
idea for the Spirit of Texas Reading Program came from Texas author, Andrea
White. Mrs. White envisioned a more robust, dynamic relationship between Texas
libraries and Texas authors/ illustrators where authors and illustrators
constantly came into Texas libraries either in person or via the internet to
talk to students about their books and the writing process. With the help of
librarians Natasha Benway (South Regional Public Library), Rose Brock (Coppell
ISD), Renee Dyer (Weslaco ISD), and Jennifer Smith (East Central ISD), Mrs.
White’s original idea was further developed to include an interactive website,
original programming by Texas librarians, and annual awards for Texas
authors/illustrators. The Spirit of Texas Reading Program began in 2011. The
name “Spirit of Texas” was chosen because the program hopes to encourage a
greater understanding of what it means to be a Texan and an appreciation for
the literary works of and about Texas and Texans.”
For more information about this wonderful program, visit the Spirit of
Texas website.
