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My Love Affair With The Library

By Tricia Goyer

I first fell in love with the library when I was in 6th grade.

My parents moved about two miles away from the local library and I would ride my bike there every day during summer. The librarians became my mentors and the books became my friends. I signed up for the reading program and made it my goal to read as many books as possible! I still have a newspaper clipping from when I was eleven and had a pile of books in front of me… I was the Reader of the Week and very proud!

I once learned that reading could be very dangerous.

I remember riding home from the library one summer day in 1982 with two large shopping bags of books on the handle bars of my bike. It turned out the books on the front were heavier than me. When I braked to go down this particularly large hill, I flipped over the handlebars. Ouch! Thankfully, I was okay. It certainly did not slow my love for reading.

With kids of my own, we go to the library once a week and check out PILES of books.

Sometimes I have to load the kids into the car and take a second trip to go back for the books. There have been times I had to make multiple book-carrying trips. Since we homeschool, I make library books the core of our curriculum. And you can bet I sign them up for the library’s summer reading programs!

When I got the idea to become an author I turned to the library for help.

I checked out books on writing and research books. I still do. I buy many books but I check out even more. The cool thing is, the librarians know me and they’re always asking what book I’m working on. They’re excited when I have a new book in print.

The most amazing part of my love of the library is that I didn’t grow up in a reading family. The library opened up the world of books to me. I don’t even remember owning any books as a child or being read to. If it wasn’t for the library, I’m not sure where I would be today… would I be an author and homeschooling mom? I doubt it.

So to all you librarians out there … thank you for all you do. You rock!

 Resources

• Take action and support your local library! Click here to find your state’s Library Association.
• Find your nearest library on PublicLibraries.com
• Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is a favorite book of writers throughout the nation.

Hope and Refreshment for Homeschooling Parents

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