Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland long ago coined themselves to be "the happiest place on Earth." I like Disneyland as much as the next person...in fact, we did a blog post on the cats behind the Disneyland scenes just last year.

But when I think of the place that makes me happiest, there's no Mickey or Donald or fast-moving rides. Instead, there are books. Rows and piles and stacks of books. All of which are free to borrow.

For me, a library is the happiest place on Earth.


I have been a library geek for as long as I can remember, electrified by the power and the magic and the possibilities inside the four walls. We had a terrific branch and staff within walking distance of my house when I was kid. I spent many, many hours there, and know for sure they contributed to my love of reading, and my excitement for creating my own stories. So upon the release of my first book, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, I mailed a signed copy to the current head librarian, in hopes he'd display it as written by a former teen patron.

These days, I live on the other side of the country, and enjoy the services of another terrific library system. It recently added an electronic component, where a patron can request books from any of the branches, receive an e-mail when it arrives at the local branch, and another as a due date reminder. It just doesn't get any easier than that, huh? I was happy to show my gratitude and support by donating a couple boxes of signed books last year to their teen summer reading program.

So since this blog post is a love letter to libraries, please feel free to leave a comment telling us something cool about yours.

4 fresh comments:

Janie Emaus said...

My book group meets at the library once a month and it's always so wonderful to walk inside that building full of books. And the librarians are the best!

sunnynikki said...

I love that my library branch is within walking distance of my house. I go online request all the books, cds, and dvds I want and then walk over to get them when they get here. Pretty much is the best system ever.

Jennifer Rummel said...

Thanks for the post about loving libraries!

Here at the Otis Library, we have your books among our great teen section. I love looking at teen sections in various libraries (sometimes while on vacation). I love seeing the same books and getting new ideas. I think all libraries rock and I'm happy to be part of the library family.

TinaFerraro said...

Many thanks, yabooknerd, for including my books among your teen selections! And yes indeedy, libraries rock!