When I was a child, my favorite picture book was “Amos and Boris” by William Steig. But my family didn’t own a copy, because we were getting by on one fairly small income then. We checked out the book frequently from the library, and my first memory of reading aloud is of that book, with its rich vocabulary (I’ve never seen the
word “phosphorescent” in another children’s storybook) and beautiful message of friendship transcending boundaries.
More recently, my family, supported by my spouse’s feast-or-famine contracting income, had a very lean year. We stopped spending money on anything optional for about seven months and watched our emergency savings dwindle until more work became available. That period included Christmas. As we were talking about what to do about Christmas for our two kids, I thought of the Lafayette library, which was near our home, and where we spent a lot of time reading and playing with the toys — even more so during those lean months, when so many other places to play or learn cost money. With the help of staff in the youth section, I curated a big pile of books to borrow for each child, and we gave each of them one purchased book that was not available from the library at that time. Those staff recommendations got my kids started on authors that became favorites, and Christmas was full of stories!
Those memories of a happy, welcoming place — available to all regardless of ability to pay — add warmth to my experience of the Lafayette library. When things get rough, it is my most reliably peaceful retreat.
– Deborah M
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