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| Montebello, CA Original Library |
Last Friday I went to my local Borders bookstore and stocked up on books. While standing in line, it occurred to me that it was a matter of time before libraries would cease to exist. Then I had déjà vu and I was a kid again at the Montebello Public Library I recalled the two Italian glass mosaic murals that flanked either side of the entrance; one representing Science the other, the Humanities. From that very first time in a library, I fell in love with the sights and sounds that struck me as a child.
Years later when my family moved to another city, that I disliked, we left our large and beautiful custom-built house that my father built, my friends, school and all that was familiar to me. During that transition I also lost my maternal grandmother and cat within months of each other. I was grieving, with no way to express it other than through sketching with my charcoals. At our new place my mother went to work, feeling stranded and lonely that summer, I'd ride my bike to the library, a place where knowledge was openly available to all without the need for a companion or money as the key to access. Having an attraction for elders, I befriended the librarian, she was my saving grace and inspiration–she introduced me to a world of books and welcomed me with a smile on her face.
A library not only signifies a magnificent repository of books but it's charged with collecting knowledge, as a place of learning. Libraries as a receptacle hold books that feed the soul: through arts, culture, intellectual growth, knowledge, and other activities that enhance a life, a community, a civilization.
Over the weekend I heard the Mayor of Toronto wants to sell off the city's public library one of the largest on the continent, to cut city costs (Toronto Library).
I would like to offer the mayor a piece of advise– never give away the crown jewels or you'll be left holding nothing of value.
Libraries really a social jewel. In my childhood we would meet at the library after to school supposedly to do our homework. It was more of an after school gathering. There are many families who can’t afford to buy books, the need the library. It would be a social crime for local authorities to sell off or close the libraries. I haven’t lived in the USA for very long but I’m very surprised how good the local library amenities are here. It is very brave of the author to let us share the tender moments of her childhood.
ReplyDeleteI went to my local public library Saturday afternoon to find the American classic "To Kill a Mocking Bird". I've seen the film on TCM, I thought it was time to read the real thing. Especially as the Beckham family named their daughter after the author. But that's not the point.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised how many people were there, not just grown-up people quietly leaving through a maybe read. But more young children excitedly whispering among themselves about what books they wanted to read. Their mothers embarrassingly trying to keep them quiet. No one seemed bothered about their excitement induced whispers.
What fool could ever want to rob the public of the chance to read.