Celebrating Libraries

I'm jumping the gun a bit in celebrating libraries, because next week, April 14 - 20, is National Library Week, a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It was first celebrated in 1958. The theme this year is "Communities Matter @ Your Library" and the Honorary Chair is Caroline Kennedy. The purpose of the observance is to honor the contributions libraries and librarians make to our communities and to encourage library support and use.

Many libraries hold author festivals during and around National Library Week, inviting local authors to attend and give presentations, talk to patrons, sell and sign books, etc. I am participating in THREE library author festivals in Colorado in April:

Saturday, April 13, 2013, 12:30 - 6:00 PM
Mountain of Authors
East Library Branch of Pikes Peak Library District
5550 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Saturday, April 20, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
2013 Longmont Library Festival's Colorado Author Open House
(part of their 2-week You Belong Longmont Library Festival)
Longmont Public Library
409 4th Ave., Longmont, CO 80501

Sunday, April 28, 2013, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
2013 Meet the Faces – Colorado Author Open House
Englewood Public Library
1000 Englewood Pkwy, Englewood, CO 80110-2373

Is YOUR local library planning an event or events for National Library Week? What are they? Do you plan to attend?

While a child, I made weekly trips to the library with my mother and siblings and checked out the maximum number of books I was allowed each week. I devoured them during the week and looked forward to the next visit, when I could check out more books. Those trips fostered my lifelong love of reading, and my love of writing that developed as a result. My wish is that EVERY child has access to books in their own language to encourage them to develop a love of reading and a lifelong thirst for knowledge. Do YOU have special memories of visiting a library as a child? Share them!

Whether your libary is large ...

... or medium-sized or small,

I hope you will visit it this week or next. Check out a book or audiobook or movie, use the computer, ask a reference question, attend a program, thank a librarian for what they do, make a donation. And take a child with you!