L Is for Library, My Favorite Place to Be

I've been spending a lot time at my local libraries lately. I say libraries (plural) because there are about five different libraries within fifteen minutes of my house.

I'm really lucky actually. My county library system was ranked number one in the U.S. for libraries serving a population of over 500,000. We have 28 branches in the Cleveland area and all of them offer an extensive selection of books, magazines, music, and DVD's. If I can't find something there, I can also borrow it from one of the local universities. They're also the first library in the country to have their own smart phone app.

My daughter and I have been enjoying pre-school storytimes in the afternoon. The fact that there is a (pretty much) daily half-hour, reading-based activity for children to partake in, totally free of charge, is amazing. And it's not just kids who get the good programs. We have author visits, educational speakers, and how-to lectures all the time.

Having such an awesome library system has been an amazing blessing for me. I am able to do extensive research for anything I'm writing. When I'm interested in a topic (say teenagers and acting), I just pop over to the library website and request any book that catches my eye. If I really like a book or find it helpful, I can buy it so I have it for reference. It's great to have access to so many sources. I know it's helped me to make my writing the best it can be.

Oh, and I love this poem about the power of libraries...


Because of Libraries We Can Say These Things

by Naomi Shihab Nye

She is holding the book close to her body,
carrying it home on the cracked sidewalk,
down the tangled hill.
If a dog runs at her again, she will use the book as a shield.

She looked hard among the long lines
of books to find this one.
When they start talking about money,
when the day contains such long and hot places,
she will go inside.
An orange bed is waiting.
Story without corners.
She will have two families.
They will eat at different hours.

She is carrying a book past the fire station
and the five and dime.

What this town has not given her
the book will provide; a sheep,
a wilderness of new solutions.
The book has already lived through its troubles.
The book has a calm cover, a straight spine.

When the step returns to itself,
as the best place for sitting,
and the old men up and down the street
are latching their clippers,

she will not be alone.
She will have a book to open
and open and open.
Her life starts here.


So, I'm really proud of my local library. How about you? What's your library like? How do you use your local library in your writing?

-- Lisa