Library Memories

Summertime means library time for me. There is nothing more relaxing than to curl up on a porch swing or windowseat with a good book. I especially like to read during a rainstorm, when I can soar away in my imagination, while snuggled beneath a cozy blanket.




When I was growing up, during the school year I used the school libraries, but they were too bright and too full of desks and chairs. I used them, but didn't usually linger long. They just weren't comfortable. I also had trouble getting time to immerse myself in a good book. Homework and other activities limited my reading time. I often got in trouble for having my light on way into the wee hours of the morning, trying to finish a book. I liked summertime, when I could read a whole book without stopping.


I don't remember any libraries in the Bahamas, so my first experience must have been in 4th grade, in the Sand Lake Elementary School. We had just moved from a rented house to our own, a mile or so down the road. All our books had been packed in boxes, my library book among them. To my embarrassment, I was given a few warning notices of that overdue book. I took the blame for a few months until I finally told them my dilemma and was excused until we found it.

My mother kept us busy in the summer. We worked in the gardens, cooled off in swimming hole, took music lessons, and went to the library. Each week, my mother would pack us in the car and let us choose a stack of books to read. To me, that was the most wonderful place in the world...rows and rows of books...far away lands to explore...new characters...exciting adventures!




My favorite library was in Canaan, Maine, a renovated one-room schoolhouse. There was hardly space to squeeze between one row of shelves and the next. It was almost across the street from us, and I was in there all the time. During my teenage years, I think I read every Grace Livingstone Hill book there.

I did enjoy the library of the Bucksport High School, during my senior year. It was our hang-out and study spot. We got in trouble for giggling every once in awhile, but we had great times there.


When my children were little, we participated in the local storytime at Searport's Carver Memorial Library. They also had a great summer reading program and reader's theater group. Nancy Morley made the kids feel special. She made a big celebration when they turned six years old and received their first card. With eight children, and with about 6 books each, we had to use a cardboard box to keep track of our borrowed books and cart them back and forth.




We loved the yearly book sales. You could get a whole bag for only a dollar or two. Two of our favorite books were library discards: "Not Enough Beds for the Babies" and "Toppy and the Circuit Rider."

I've been to our state library and there I could find almost any book I wanted, but it's a bit too big for me. I love the little musty crowded libraries, where the most worn-out books hold the greatest stories.

So, go get a library card and have an adventure!



For other interesting stories, visit Lynette's Wednesday's Walk Down Memory Lane .