What's YOUR Story?!

Did you know that this week is National Library Week?!  And this specific year has been graced with the title "Connect with Your Library" which is intended to promote technology connections to your Library in all forms.  And with that in mind, I want to hear from you.

Tell me your Library story. 

You can visit the DIY Library Design Facebook page to share your story.  But I want to know how YOUR Library has changed your world.  Do you have young memories of your local Library that encouraged your passion for reading?  Do you work in a Library and if so, what was that draw that got you where you are today? 

MY STORY

I have loved books for as far back as I can remember.  So I can't honestly tell you if my passion for reading came from my own genetic code or if Libraries had a stronger hand in it.  But I do have sweet childhood Library memories that make me smile to this day.

When I was in elementary school, they would corral us into the media center for story time.  The Library director would always take the time out of her busy schedule to personally read us a tale that would captivate us.  Her name was Mrs. Pearce.  And I loved her.  I remember her as a short round woman with brassy red hair that bobbed just beneath her ears. 

Her hands were amazing to me for some reason.  The way the plastic cover of the book jacket would rustle and crackle as she opened it delighted my 8 year old little soul.  She would explain the Caldecott medal on the cover and I just knew that it was a very special book.  And then she would read with such expressive facial gestures and voice intonation.

The stories just came to life for me in such a vibrant way.  I even loved the sound of the pages turning as she moved along in the book.  For that fifteen minutes (which felt like hours to me) my concentration was impenetrable.  I was hooked.  And to this day, I still love the sound of the pages turning and the familiar crinkle of the plastic jackets.

As I got older, my books naturally became more grown up as did my interests, but my love of books and the Library only grew.  My mother would take me to the local Library (which I had the honor of re-designing years later - who would have ever imagined?) and I could NEVER check out just one or two books. 

As soon as I stepped in the doors, the hypnotic scent of the pages of the books overtook my senses and I was immediately lost in the stacks collecting books on every topic that was of interest to me.  But she never set a limit on books; she just indulged my impossible goal of actually reading all those books in two weeks.  Renewal was my childhood sport of choice.  

In my teens I was gifted an antique secretary and in it contained several volumes of books that are now well over 120 years old.  To this day when I open the doors to that special piece of antique furniture, I cannot help but take a very deep breath to soak in that sweet smell of old paper and bindings with their own stories to tell.  So much so, that even my own little girl asks to smell every single book I open and sniff, because she sees me do it and is now equally obsessed.  I hope she takes that with her through life.  It's such a simple and intoxicating pleasure.

Eventually I landed knee-deep into a new obsession; Interior Design.  That story has an entirely different life of it's own, but for this tale, I'll jump ahead to how it connected to my love for books and the Library. 

It seems so obvious to me now but when I began designing commercial spaces, my company's focus was church and corporate work.  The first Library I got to design captured my attention in ways I had not imagined in my design career.  Suddenly I was in one of my most favorite places on the planet AND I was helping to improve it and make it exciting for OTHER book lovers like me to enjoy.  Plus all my training in youth spaces for churches was put to great use and I learned how to make spaces for the younger patrons a much-needed place of intrigue and discovery.  

Playing such a role in the future of the public Library by creating designs that not only draw in more patrons, but possibly even becomes a part of their memories like the ones I have now, is such a blessing.  I can't even find the right words.  But it means so much to me. 

And since then, I've created a program and resources that teach other Library professionals how to do the design work on their own so that they don't have to settle for a space that could be so much more just because of timing and budget issues.  This is my element and I am so grateful to not only put my passion for books to great use, but to be able to be a part of your world too.

So now I sincerely want to hear your story.  Connect with me and other members on the DIY Library Design Facebook page to tell your tale.  And Mrs. Pearce, if you're out there somewhere and are by some crazy chance reading this, then know that I think of you often and fondly and would love to hear from you too.  Thank you for investing in my tiny little world and setting the stage for doing what I love most with some of the most creative and interesting people I've ever had the pleasure to work with.