ABC'S OF READING & 'RITING: LETTER L

For as long as I can remember I have had a love affair with libraries. From the comforting smell of dusty, aging books to the shiny crispness of new additions to the inventory, I worship and revere the written word found within the walls of my local library. When I was a child, the librarian at my hometown library knew me well and could count on my weekly visit as surely as the sun rising every morning. My thirst for knowledge quickly outweighed the limits of books generally suited for my age and the librarian graciously allowed me to select any of the books my hometown library carried. Imagine my delight in unlimited access to any book I wanted. Every summer I read more than one hundred books and even began my writing career at age eleven when I won an essay contest ran by that library and received a book as a grand prize. I still have that book to this day and it holds a special place on the shelf of my living room bookcase.

It's pretty obvious why libraries would hold such a special place of honor for both readers and writers. For the writer, there is everything from research avenues to the assistance offered by the dedicated people manning the reference desk. A place to snuggle into a comfortable chair and lay words to paper or computer to hopefully inspire the next generation of library visitors. For the readers, it's a chance to travel to another time and dimension. To ride a roller coaster of emotion while holding tight to the belief that everything will turn out for the best by the time the last page is turned. 

If I sound like libraries are some sort of sanctuary, it's because to me they are. I took my first step to becoming a future author while in a library and now, I plan how to further that career every time I step into that hallowed hall of books. My own picture book, THE STORY CATCHER, now graces the shelves of my local library...waiting to hopefully inspire some new reader stepping into that building as they begin their own grand adventure with books.  

Here are a few libraries around the world that are on my own literary bucket list to visit one day...

 

Prague -- Strahov Monastery Library (Pinterest)

 

 Bulgaria -- Beach Library Albena Resort (Pinterest)

 

Paris, France -- France National Library (Pinterest)

Wiblingen Abbey in Ulm, Germany (via www.webodysseum.com). - See more at: http://visitheworld.tumblr.com/post/35975304544/the-beautiful-library-of-wiblingen-abbey-in-ulm#sthash.x3iORZ12.dpuf

Wiblingen Abbey in Ulm, Germany (via www.webodysseum.com). - See more at: http://visitheworld.tumblr.com/post/35975304544/the-beautiful-library-of-wiblingen-abbey-in-ulm#sthash.x3iORZ12.dpuf

 

Wiblingen Abbey in Ulm, Germany (via www.webodysseum.com). - See more at: http://visitheworld.tumblr.com/post/35975304544/the-beautiful-library-of-wiblingen-abbey-in-ulm#sthash.x3iORZ12.dpuf

The beautiful library of Wiblingen Abbey in Ulm, Germany - See more at: http://visitheworld.tumblr.com/post/35975304544/the-beautiful-library-of-wiblingen-abbey-in-ulm#sthash.X1EKRWcO.dpuf

Ulm, Germany -- Wiblingin Abbey Library (Pinterest)

 

San Diego, California --  Univ of Ca San Diego Geisel Library (Pinterest)

 

Ottawa, Canada -- Library of Parliment (Pinterest)

 

Oxford, UK -- Bodleian Library (Pinterest)

Is there a library on YOUR bucket list? Tell us in the comments below...

Blurb: Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

Buy Links:Amazon Kindle ¦ Paperback ¦ B&N ¦ SmashwordsJOIN THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB!Membership includes:

Membership Certificate
Bi-montly Newsletter full of mazes, puzzles, games, news, and other goodies
Reading Log for earning STORY CATCHER AWARD

 

 

 

Wiblingen Abbey in Ulm, Germany (via www.webodysseum.com). - See more at: http://visitheworld.tumblr.com/post/35975304544/the-beautiful-library-of-wiblingen-abbey-in-ulm#sthash.x3iORZ12.dpuf

Let The Crazy Train Pass You By

Publisher's Weekly just posted an article about the potential danger of libraries no longer being able to lend books to the public.  WHAT???  Here is the link to the article:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/52874-in-supreme-court-filing-libraries-say-decision-in-wiley-suit-threatens-lending-rights.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=00778e7307-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

If I'm understanding the article correctly, the Supreme Court is trying to decide if libraries have the right to lend e-books and other books to their patrons.  Now they are taking things one step farther and thinking about making it illegal to lend any "foreign" published books within the United States as it might infringe on someone's copyrights.  Would the same apply to US published books no longer being allowed to stock the shelves in the libraries of other countries?  Again I say...WHAT???

How is it even possible that there are people sitting around debating this issue?  When did we board the CRAZY TRAIN???

I could be completely off base, but I thought libraries purchased the books they stocked their shelves with?  And all John Q. Public needed to do to have access to said books was to apply for a library card.  Following this line of logic, the original author received fair compensation for their work and what the library chooses to do with the book after the purchase is their business.  And when you consider the ever increasing number of struggling readers and rising illiteracy around the world, in my mind ANYTHING which encourages someone to read is a GOOD THING!

Think about it.  We might never have been able to pick up a copy of A Christmas Carol from the local library when we were children because Dickens lived on the wrong side of the pond.  And as for  reading the Harry Potter books?  Forget about it!  Where will the CRAZY TRAIN stop?  Will I have to wonder if the book police will handcuff me should I choose to read a book purchased from one of my Australian friends just because I didn't ask permission first?  Or maybe we just need to go back to the caveman days and do away with books all together.  We can gather around the one storyteller in the village that can remember it all and hope WE won't forget ourselves!

I know that is a bit extreme, but it's as silly to me as the Supreme Court having to spend their precious time deciding a case like this.  Don't they have better things to do? 

Hey, I have an idea!  How about some people not being greedy to the inth degree and spoiling it for the rest of us?  How about some people acting like adults, even when they write for children, and thinking about the greater appeal of seeing their books in the hands of the intended audience in the first place without trying to nickle and dime the public to death? 

I know I'm not a published author, so maybe some people would think I have no write to speak, but I DO have a right to my opinion and I have an overwhelming LOVE for books in all forms.  I simply don't understand the whole idea of having to fight for the right to pick up a "foreign" published  book from the library as compared to a "homegrown" one.  For myself, I am going to let the CRAZY TRAIN pass me by and I hope others will do the same...