“A library card is the start of a lifelong adventure.”  ~ Author Lillian Jackson Braun 

Welcome back,  September!  This time last year I was twelve months further away from publishing a book. With each passing month, I am getting a little closer. 

This ninth month of the year is designated as National Library Card Sign-up Month.

Good libraries are wonderful community assets, as are bookstores. I have always loved libraries. As soon as I was old enough to have my own library card, I have had one. As a teenager, the library was my gateway to knowledge that I was seeking about growing up. Even when reading wasn’t the “cool” thing to do, I frequently perused the shelves full of books at the local library and came home with armfuls, too. 

The other day I was trying to recall the names of some of the books that I signed out of the library during the 1960s and early 1970s. Some I read between the covers with a flashlight. If my mother had known that I was reading some of the titles, she may have disapproved. But I read them as part of the coming of age process.  

Was it sneaky? Yes. Thrilling? Sometimes. Normal? Probably. Scary? Most definitely. I was a late bloomer so rather than experience first hand what goes on when “boy meets girl”, I read an abundance of romantic young adult novels which I have tried to track down without success. At the time, I thought they were all the greatest stories ever told but now they are probably out of print. In relation to today’s publications for young adults, they were probably pretty innocuous. At that time, because I was  so naïve, I thought they were pretty juicy! 

As a parent, my child’s request to stay up late to read was turned down only occasionally. I wanted to foster his love of reading and our trips to the library were something we looked forward to together. 

Libraries are fortresses of community. As far as I am concerned, putting financial resources into libraries  so they can adapt their offerings to change with these digital times will increase their patronage.

Happy National Library Sign-up Month, everybody !

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