Library Lovers' Day (February 14)

[Phil D]

Less than two weeks to go until Library Lovers' Day!

What are your favourite things about libraries? Which are your favourite libraries in the world? How have libraries or librarians had an impact on your life? Do you have any special memories from libraries? And how are you planning to celebrate Library Lovers' Day this year?

Not everyone receives flowers on Valentine's Day, but everyone is welcome in the library.

 

[Verkhovensky]

How have libraries or librarians had an impact on your life?

The library in my neighborhood has two floors - lower floor is for kids and the upper floor is for adults.
When I was ten the librarian didn't let me on the upper floor since I was a kid.
Never entered that building since. I still consider them my mortal enemy. The audacity of not letting me borrow some Agatha Christie because I was "too young"!

If I need something from a library (which is not often - I do have hundereds of unread books at home) I go somewhere else.

 

[Phil D]

That's a tragedy and a disgrace and these librarians completely misunderstood their role in the world. ?
I hope you have a better experience one day and can be reconciled with libraries.

 

[tiganeasca]

I had a completely different experience, thank goodness. As a child, the library was one of my absolute favorite places to go in the world. I don't remember the librarians much but I can still picture the inside of the library and feel its cozy welcoming-ness all these many, many years later!

 

[Benny Profane]

The library in my neighborhood has two floors - lower floor is for kids and the upper floor is for adults.
When I was ten the librarian didn't let me on the upper floor since I was a kid.
Never entered that building since. I still consider them my mortal enemy. The audacity of not letting me borrow some Agatha Christie because I was "too young"!

If I need something from a library (which is not often - I do have hundereds of unread books at home) I go somewhere else.

Heartbreaking experience, my dear!

Well, I became myself a rat of an old library when I was already adult and it was always my refuge!

 

[Verkhovensky]

That's a tragedy and a disgrace and these librarians completely misunderstood their role in the world. ?
I hope you have a better experience one day and can be reconciled with libraries.

Oh, no, I have no problem with libraries. Just with this particular location. This was more of a funny story, I'm not traumatized, I just need to walk little bit longer to the other library. If I need it at all, since I have my own home library with hundreds of unread things.

 

[Benny Profane]

Oh, no, I have no problem with libraries. Just with this particular location. This was more of a funny story, I'm not traumatized, I just need to walk little bit longer to the other library. If I need it at all, since I have my own home library with hundreds of unread things.

Go back to there, brother! It's time to exorcise your demons because it may be too late...

Maybe that person was worried about your mental health due the context in your country on 90's (a crime novel for a child after a war context might traumatize him) or she/he was an adorable person who had a bad day. We don't know.

Maybe that person could be dead or retired...

So, in my humble opinion, you should go to there again!

 

[Stevie B]

My earliest library experience involves my hometown library which was housed in an old New England farmhouse that someone must have donated to the town. The house had a faded yellow exterior and I can still recall its creaking stairs as I climbed them to reach the children's books section on the second floor. My father would bring me to the library on Saturdays so that I wouldn't waste too much time watching TV. The odd thing is that I can't recall him ever checking out any books for himself. Of course, attention deficit disorder was not diagnosed back in those day, but I don't doubt he suffered from it. The only time I ever saw him read was the newspaper at the family table after dinner (in short bursts, of course).

 

[Rodica]

I perceive the library as those childhood friends that I don't remember when I first met them, only that they were present in my first memories. My mother read a lot, she took me to the library with her every two weeks. We spent at least two hours choosing 12 books. I remember two of the librarians, one of them had purple hair, I was fascinated by her, she never smiled. I was trying to get in line to borrow the books from the other one who was so cute, but I was watching the purple librarian's every move. When I grew up, I used to go to the reading room, where they had many more books that I could not borrow from the library.

 

[Leseratte]

When I was a child we had several bookstores here in São Paulo, that sold German children's books. I remember my father taken me there it was an absolutely magic world for me.

Much later I used to find out the libraries. They used to be cozy reading places too until they were replaced by PCs and Internet rooms.

 

[Phil D]

One of my favourite library memories is from when my mum took me with her to visit the library at the university both she and my dad had attended (and where I would later study as well). I don't know what the reason for our visit was, but I do remember my awe at the sheer size of the place, staircases leading up and up to floor after floor of shelves upon shelves of books books books... I had never imagined anything like it, and I remember thinking about it for a long time afterwards and trying to explain it to my school friends. That impression of enormity is still my comparison point for every new library I enter.

 

[wordeater]

Libraries are an essential part of my life. As a cheapskate I could never have bought those few thousand of books that I've borrowed over the decades. Most of my knowledge of world literature would be non-existent if it hadn't been for libraries.

As a child I started plundering the children's books in the local library. The section for ten to twelve-year olds wasn't very big, so I soon moved to the sections for teenagers and adults.

Later I've visited libraries in several towns, going through non-fiction sections, music collections, graphic novels and encyclopedias. Back then libraries were very quiet. You were supposed to be silent or to whisper.

Today I'm a member in four libraries. They can be noisy, with several people sitting together at the same computer, a coffee lounge, background music or a film screen. The classics have often been moved to the backroom collection. There are e-books and audio books. It's different, but they still give access to a huge amount of old and recent literature. Thank Saint Valentine for libraries!

 

[kpjayan]

My father was a 'patron member' of the library, near my school and I had privilege of using his 'card' for a while, during my school days. Later in my 11th/12th grade years, I was asked to 'man' the village library. My job was to open the library in the evening for 2 hrs and distribute books few sporadic / inquisitive visitors to the place. It was a small set up with very limited books. Those two hours probably helped me shape my later reading habits. Couple of years later, I had to do the same role for our college/hostel library for an year. That is where I encountered Paulo Coelho first

 

[Leseratte]

My father was a 'patron member' of the library, near my school and I had privilege of using his 'card' for a while, during my school days. Later in my 11th/12th grade years, I was asked to 'man' the village library. My job was to open the library in the evening for 2 hrs and distribute books few sporadic / inquisitive visitors to the place. It was a small set up with very limited books. Those two ours probably helped me shape my later reading habits. Couple of years later, I had to do the same role for our college/hostel library for an year. That is where I encountered Paulo Coelho first

Anyway, Paulo Coelho didn´t destroy your taste for good literature.

 

[Phil D]

The big day has finally arrived: HAPPY LIBRARY LOVERS' DAY EVERYONE!!! ????

I remember when I was an undergraduate studying Spanish 1 and discovering the Hispanic literature section (861, with letter prefixes for each country) on the fourth floor of the university library. It would be years until I could comprehend a decent portion of what was written in the thousands of novels and books of poetry in the collection, but even so I used to go up there regularly and browse titles and authors and imagine that one day I would have access to them. Knowing those books were there, in an Australian library, meant that I knew that it was possible to learn Spanish well enough to appreciate literature in the language, because other people had done it before me. They were a lasting inspiration for me throughout my studies, and I still visit those books every time I get a chance to go the campus. I'll always be grateful for them.

 

[Phil D]

Anyway, here's a picture of another library I love: the La Trobe Reading Room in the State Library of Victoria.

What are your favourite libraries? Which libraries would you love to visit?

 

[alik-vit]

Anyway, here's a picture of another library I love: the La Trobe Reading Room in the State Library of Victoria.

What are your favourite libraries? Which libraries would you love to visit?

View attachment 2408

The Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The main reading hall is empty and building is next door to my former department. It was ideal place)))

 

[Leseratte]

The big day has finally arrived: HAPPY LIBRARY LOVERS' DAY EVERYONE!!! ????

I remember when I was an undergraduate studying Spanish 1 and discovering the Hispanic literature section (861, with letter prefixes for each country) on the fourth floor of the university library. It would be years until I could comprehend a decent portion of what was written in the thousands of novels and books of poetry in the collection, but even so I used to go up there regularly and browse titles and authors and imagine that one day I would have access to them. Knowing those books were there, in an Australian library, meant that I knew that it was possible to learn Spanish well enough to appreciate literature in the language, because other people had done it before me. They were a lasting inspiration for me throughout my studies, and I still visit those books every time I get a chance to go the campus. I'll always be grateful for them.

Special thanks to all libraries for free borrowing books here in S. Paulo, specially the ones of books in English, which contributed in shaping my language and reading universe. Alas, most of them have dwindled or don´t exist any more.???

 

[Leseratte]

 

[Benny Profane]

Biblioteca Nacional [National Library] in Rio de Janeiro.