Libraries are Sacred Spaces for Me!
Libraries Are Sacred Spaces For Me!
Libraries have been a very integral part of my life from a very early age. What a rich resource they are for all of us, AND, THEY ARE FREE FOR ALL!
The following is a quote from author Anne Lamott that captured my attention when I was searching for quotes describing Sanctuary Spaces. I think her quote serves as a rich encapsulation of the power and special qualities associated with libraries:
“My parents, and librarians along the way, taught me about the space between words, about the margins, where so many juicy moments of life and spirit and friendship could be found. In a library, you could find miracles and truth and you might find something that would make you laugh so hard that you get shushed, in the friendliest way. There was sanctuary in a library, there is sanctuary now, from the war, from the storms of our family and our own anxious minds. Libraries are like the mountain, or the meadows behind the goat lady’s house: sacred space.”
Soon after I discovered this quote, the New York Times ran an article titled, The Authors Write About the Libraries They Love. (October 15, 2018). Talk about synchronicity – this is an excellent example! Each of the twelve authors shares their early experiences exploring the vast treasures of libraries.
It is striking that many of the writers were introduced to libraries before or soon after they started school. Their writings and shared experiences reminded me of my own early library experience. I lived on the outskirts of City located in the Midwest, and the City was large enough to host a main library in the downtown area and several regional libraries located in different parts of the City. I lived about a mile and a half from the regional library and as I got older, I would walk to the library every Saturday.
The regional library nearest to me was located on a busy street in the middle of a retail area. The actual building looked like a storefront with two very large windows that spanned the front of the building, one on either side of the main entrance. Entering the building and stepping across the threshold, I was well aware that I was crossing into a different space from what I was leaving at the door. The space offered a consistently quiet, calm, and safe environment where I could count on people answering my questions and helping me. While it didn’t register with me at the time, looking back I can also see that even as a young child, I was treated with respect and kindness as the staff answered my questions and checked in on me periodically. I could sit and read for hours, and every once in a while, one of the librarians would bring me a couple of cookies and on special days, they might be accompanied with a glass of milk. I’m pretty sure there was a policy of no eating or drinking in the library, but the library women were very kind.
Similar to several of the authors’ shared experiences, my library also had a general rule that you were not allowed to check out more than three books at a time. However, once the librarians realized how much I loved to read, they let me check out as many books as I could fit into my book bag. Every now and then they would mention that one of the books that I had selected might be a bit too advanced for me, but if I didn’t affirm their observation, they would let me check it out anyway.
In the summer months when children were on school break, the staff always created projects that encouraged children to read. The projects were simple in nature, but they went a long way in acknowledging and affirming the importance of reading. One summer in particular, they made small – maybe 5 inches in height – stand-up trees made of construction paper. The trunks were brown and they wore green canapes of leaves in full color. The big picture windows were cleared for the summer, and the space took on the appearance of a forest. Each tree had a child’s name on it in recognition of having checked out books. For every five books you read, they placed a big red apple on your green crown. As more children participated, the trees in the window moved around to make room for others. Each time I came to the library, I started by checking each of the two big storefront windows until I located “MY TREE.”
Looking back at the librarians’ creativity, I am so grateful for the extra care and effort they took to encourage myself and other children to read. The simple practice of creating a named tree for each child, one that gradually bore much fruit, was such an act of affirmation. Seeing my name in a store window as I walked down main street gave me a deep sense of being and belonging. While I read for the pleasure of the experience, I also enjoyed seeing the additional fruit appear on my tree. I am reminding myself to send out thoughts of gratitude to all of the people in my life who have taken the time to perform ordinary and extraordinary acts to improve the quality of my life experience. It’s too late for me to thank those women now, but I definitely pass on my gratitude to the librarians I interact with weekly as I return and check out books.
I have continued to be an avid reader throughout my life. I turn to libraries for many reasons, for pleasure, for learning more about multiple areas like history, art, travelling, cooking, etc. When I have tackled painting or wallpapering a room in my house, I even consult books on color and design. I check out music, videos, movies, jigsaw puzzles, etc. I also choose to spend time in libraries when I feel like being in a comfortable space surrounded by people.
As the author Chris Bohjalian pointed out, libraries are also spaces where people can come together. Many libraries now have community room spaces that can be used for lectures, local meetings, etc. One of his quotes references how other communities offered unsolicited assistance when his local library’s collection in Lincoln, Vermont was destroyed by water overflowing its banks after several weeks of heavy rain.
“But I also remember how, once the shock of the loss was behind us, we built a new library – with help from people across America. Readers in 38 states mailed us money. Others drove to Vermont from as far away as Pennsylvania with their cars packed with books. We didn’t ask for that: Strangers simply felt our pain and wanted to do something. Within two years, we had a spanking new library.”
Within the last ten years, my local library has undergone a renovation and expansion of its original facility. At the time, the town was divided on the merits of the project as one side insisted that books were on their way out now that we had access to electronic books. But the special vote passed, and now we have a much more up-to-date and expanded facility. The naysayers have been proven wrong so far; it doesn’t matter what day of the week or what time I go to the library each week – I face the same problem of trying to find a parking place. The place is always packed, and exudes feelings of lots of positive energy. High school students study in groups in the evening; local artists display their work throughout the facility; there are enrichment activities for young children, and there are lectures that appeal to adults’ interests.
Here is a great quote by author Charles Frazier from the Times article – a quote that really speaks to me:
“But mostly I remember how that climb up the steps to the big silent room made checking out a book an act of consequence, made reading a moral choice. The structure itself expected something from you.”
“Expected something from you!” So true! All of the knowledge, wisdom, insight, and pleasure of discovery call out to those enter, reminding us and inviting us to continue to grow and evolve.
This Blog – writing it and typing it – reminded me of an interesting idea that I toyed with several years ago after I took a tour of the Library of Congress. On the tour, visitors once they are inside the building are able to look through windows that look down into the reading room. I felt like I was looking into one of those oval sugary eggs that had a see-through window that revealed an Easter scene of some kind. I was envious of the many people seated at these big wooden tables, reading under the green-shaded brass lamps. I knew as I was taking in the view that I wanted to be one of those people!
I went so far to research how one gets admitted and it is a fairly simple process, I just never followed through on it. Well, this time I’m doing it. I’ve printed down the instructions and have scheduled a visit for March 2019. Now I have the fun pleasure of figuring out what it is I would like to research.
I plan to share my experience of sitting in the Library of Congress with you the readers!
