photo by Julia Silge

Today I’d like to share a few of the many wonderful comments I received for the Bloggers Library Loving Challenge last week. I really enjoyed reading your personal reasons for loving the library, and am happy to report that because of your support, yesterday I was able to send off a check for $114 to my local library!

My special library was the one in the elementary school where I was a teacher for many years. We had an outstanding librarian who taught me so much about children’s literature. I spent many hours in the library looking for resources and for recommendations of books to use in my classroom–which was literature-based.

Later, I became the librarian in charge of this wonderful "room of books" in the center of my school. It was the perfect job for me! It was like I had died and gone to heaven. I loved sharing books with children of many different ages and working with teachers to help them bring all genres of literature to their students. And I loved doing book selections and adding wonderful new literary resources to the library collection.

Up with school libraries and school librarians!!! (Elaine)

I love libraries. I have always loved libraries. I will always love libraries. (Barbara B.)

I am on a first-name basis with people in the children’s department at our library, and take my grandchildren every opportunity I get, so I share your love of libraries, too. (Judy)

Libraries should never be allowed to go by the wayside!! My early remembrances in Calif. were the summer reading program where we collected paper leaves to cover the paper tree in the children’s section, reading Snip, Snap & Snur and the books about the Norwegian trolls, then graduating to juvenile mysteries by Mary Stewart & Phyllis A. Whitney and finding out that they also wrote adult mysteries. A magical place! (Anonymous)

Magazines, mysteries, the latest CDs…
Newspapers, internet and DVDs.
Storytimes, crafts, magicians and mimes,
Super fun games, and lots of good times.
Term papers, homework…they’re not really hard
when you use your hometown library card.
Well, you get what I mean…absolutely the best "bang for your buck" these days. (Anonymous)

I loved my first library — the one with wheels that came and parked at the end of my street. That started me on a lifelong love affair with the smell — dry, sweet, subtle — of old books. Lovely. (Tanita)

We visited the library every week as a child and I proudly presented my dogeared card to take out the maximum number allowed. Now, libraries provide lifeblood to my work and serenity in the chaos of frenetic lifestyles. Libraries on line make it easier to reach vast quantities of sources across the world. (Anonymous)

Libraries = a second home. No matter where my family moved, I always found my way to the library no matter what state or what country. My 7th grade "career" project was about becoming a librarian. (Bookmoot)

Thanks again, everyone!

          

Hip Hip Hooray!!

I reached my goal of 100 comments in the Bloggers Library Loving Challenge!

Actually, I topped out at 114 warm, beautiful, generous, lovely, inspiring comments. I gave out a lot of chocolate cupcakes and had a lot of fun checking my totals throughout the day yesterday. I must admit, early yesterday morning I still needed about 25 more comments, and I had some wee doubts. After all, many folks were on spring break or out enjoying weekend activities, rather than reading blogs.

A few comments began trickling in — even more after Susan Taylor Brown sent out a call for help on a Facebook update, specifically stating that I was close to my goal and needed a little boost. By early evening I was 8 comments away, and by 9 p.m. (EST), only about 4 comments away! Ah the suspense!! WOULD I MAKE IT?

Then the magic of internet linkage kicked in, as others posted on forums, twittered, or nudged friends via their blogs. When I went to bed at 11 p.m., I had 107 comments. Yay!! This morning, I had 114, which translates into $114 for my library!

Huge thanks to everyone who commented. It was heartening reading about how much the library has meant to you over the years. Thanks to everyone who touted the challenge via their social networks, who hosted challenges on their blogs, or who made flat-fee donations. Thanks especially to Susan for all her hard work in spreading the word, and *drum roll please* THANKS MOST OF ALL to Jennifer R. Hubbard, the mastermind behind this effort, our fearless leader. 

Raising money for libraries is important, but equally as important is raising consciousness about its significance in our lives. The public library is one of the most precious free resources we have in our communities. It’s there for us, but we have to share the responsibility for taking care of it. 

Be sure to check in with Jennifer for additional updates and final recaps. Some bloggers are still accepting comments, with deadlines extending through April 1st or beyond. Susan Taylor Brown is very close to her goal cap, and will be accepting comments through noon today, March 29th. Keep spreading the love, and visit your library today!!

Thanks to everyone who’s already commented on my Library Loving Challenge post!! I appreciate your support and all your gushin’ love for libraries.

But alas and alack, my deadline, midnight tonight, is fast approaching and I still need about 10 more comments to reach my goal cap of 100. Yes, just 10 more good-looking, smart, generous, cheerleading folks who want to see me spend more money for a good cause. Oh, I’m so close I can taste it!

Do you know anyone else who would like to leave a comment to help a library? 

All of us, listed below, would love it if you would go outside, drag somebody off the street, give them a cup of coffee, and ask them nicely to comment on these blogs (tickle them if you have to):

SusanWrites (Susan Taylor Brown) for Friends of the Cambria Library, San Jose, CA (thru March 29, noon)
Jama Rattigan for Friends of the Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA (thru March 28, midnight)
Sara Lewis Holmes for Flying Horse Farms library (thru March 28, midnight)
Angela DeGroot for Burlington County (NJ) Bookmobile (thru March 31)
Jumping the Candlestick (Debbie Diesen) for Delta Township Library
Kurtis Scaletta for Books for Africa (runs for 2 weeks or until 150 comments)
Armchair News for Jackson Heights Library (Queens, NY)
Tabwriter’s Writer Musings (Tabitha Olson) for her local library
Kelly Fineman of Writing & Ruminating for her local library and Books for Africa (thru March 28, midnight)
Cynthea Liu for an Oklahoma library (and she’s giving stuff to commenters too! thru April 1); see also her library-loving game thru which you can win cool stuff!
Josh Berk for Friends of the Philadelphia Libraries (thru April 1)
SeaHeidi (Heidi R. Kling) for her local library (thru March 29)
4IQRead for her local friends of the library
LizanneWrites for BooksFirst!
kwerg for the Sunnyvale Library
EclecticMum for Placer County libraries (CA)
DampScribbler (Kristi) for Multnomah and Washington County Libraries, plus matching contributions linked to Kelly Fineman’s entry (linked above).
Fuse 8 at School Library Journal for Project Cicero in NYC.
Jennifer R. Hubbard for the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, Township Library System.

Just yesterday, I visited my recipient library and took these snaps just for you.

"Time Out Boy," by Gary Price (donated in memory of a deceased child).

In a little room through this door, I met a 57-year-old woman twice a week for five years and taught her how to read.

That’s only part of the power and magic of libraries.

So please comment if you haven’t yet done so, help spread the word by linking to this post, and help us give back!

Here’s the link to my Library Loving Challenge post. Your comment is worth $1 for my local library, plus you score a chocolate cupcake!

Edited to add: The challenge is now closed, and I’ve reached my goal!