{"id":14412,"date":"2022-02-09T08:25:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T21:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/?p=14412"},"modified":"2022-02-08T19:57:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T08:57:14","slug":"why-i-love-libraries-libraryloversday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/why-i-love-libraries-libraryloversday\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Love Libraries #LibraryLoversDay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Library Lovers Day\u2019 is next week, and so the good people at Australia Reads<\/a> (where I am honoured to be an ambassador<\/a>), sent me a text meme to celebrate. It made me think: why do<\/em> I love libraries? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A deluge of memories flooded into a list of 18 reasons I thought I\u2019d share!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Magic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was little, my mum often took me to our local library. I loved reading and libraries had books. As long as a book was age-appropriate, the librarians let me take it home. How miraculous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Sanctuary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was at school and had trouble with friends, the school library was a calm and serene place that welcomed readers. I could go there whenever I liked and it wouldn\u2019t judge me. I\u2019d even get a headstart on classwork, or homework, and there were books that could help with that. Amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Weather<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was at high school, I volunteered in the school library and, when it rained, the librarians let me read in there. In wet weather we were supposed to go to our classrooms, but everyone else was in there. Generous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. Study<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I needed a book that wasn\u2019t available in my local library, the librarians would phone another branch in the district, reserve their copy for me, then have it transferred. One time I couldn\u2019t wait for the transfer, so my mum drove me for an hour to the branch, an hour home again. Emergency help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Inclusive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was at university, the campus library kept reference copies of all the most important books. It also had cheap photocopying machines. So if I couldn’t afford to buy a book, and the library loan copies were all out, I could use the reference book to photocopy the pages I needed. Useful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I went to another university and didn\u2019t know anyone, the department library was a great place to ask for help. If someone was studying the same book as me, in the library at the same time, chances are they were part of my tribe. I could ask them a question, or they could ask me, and we\u2019d learn together. Connection!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Quiet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was a mum of two, under two, it could be loud and hectic at home \u2013 so every Saturday I could, I\u2019d escape to my local library to write or catch up on work. There was good Wi-Fi and a plethora of regulars who went to read newspapers or use the internet. They\u2019d \u2018keep an eye\u2019 on my laptop if I needed the toilet or a drink. Community!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Treats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I took my children to the local library at certain times of year, the librarians would hide wrapped chocolates among the books for all the children to hunt and devour. There were DVDs to borrow too, craft sessions, and big glossy picture books with bright colourful illustrations. Creating memories!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Open<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I co-wrote a series of children\u2019s books to raise money for The Kids\u2019 Cancer Project, my local library hosted a story-time event, and allowed the local newspaper to photograph it for publicity. Supportive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Collective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I started teaching creative writing<\/a>, my local libraries were among the first to book my writing workshops, so I could share my knowledge with others. They even printed posters and sent out email notifications to advertise them. They still do! Involved!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

11. Practical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I need a Justice of the Peace to witness a document signature, there is always a choice of local library branches offering the service for free. Cost-effective!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Immediate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I need to read a book or watch a classic film quickly, for mentoring, editing or writing purposes<\/a>, I can access a wealth of ebooks or audiobooks, and watch films, from the library access on my phone. Convenient!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Expertise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I judge a library literary competition, they always invite me to give a speech or share a blog post about my judge’s report. Together we try to encourage creativity throughout our communities and beyond. Inspiring! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

14. Everyone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When my non-writer friends join library book clubs, it means I can talk to them about books without them thinking I\u2019m a nerd. Normalisation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Creative<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I wanted to create a writing collaboration project<\/a> for local writers and artists, my local library embraced the opportunity to support my vision and promote creativity throughout our council area. Enlightened!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

16. Finance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When readers borrow books I\u2019ve written from the library, I get a nice annual payment accounting for the lending rights. Fairness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17. Opportunity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When the Covid-19 pandemic prevented libraries from holding author talks, my local library included me in a showcase of authors at my local theatre<\/a> to enable social distancing. Innovative!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18. People<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I ask a librarian a question, they always help me find answers, until there are no more answers to find. Helpful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What About You?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What memories do you have of libraries and their positive impact on your own and others\u2019 lives? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bet there are a few!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Library Lovers Day\u2019 is next week, and so the good people at Australia Reads (where I am honoured to be an ambassador), sent me a text meme to celebrate. It made me think: why do I love libraries? A deluge of memories flooded into a list of 18 reasons I\u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Why do I love libraries? I have 18 reasons!","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[2413,2350,378,2412,2194,1968],"class_list":["post-14412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookish-inspection","tag-ambassador","tag-australia-reads","tag-library","tag-library-lovers-day","tag-mosman-library","tag-northern-beaches-library"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Zena-Shapter-Library-Lovers-Day.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14412"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14444,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14412\/revisions\/14444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}