September is officially Library Card Sign-Up Month, but to paraphrase a common saying, every month is a good one to sign up for a library card! Libraries have changed, adapted, grown, and improved. The more I think about what libraries used to provide, the more I marvel at all the wonderful options available to the library users of today.
Those of us of a certain age will remember the librarians of the past: the shushers, the cranky oldsters who tolerated no fuss in their domains, the bespectacled, frowning guardians of the temples of knowledge. Despite their frequent grimaces and admonitions (often aimed at me), I adored librarians. I thought they had the best jobs in the world. What could be so terrible about telling people what books they should read? How bad could it be to advise youngsters on topics for a project or essay? I loved my local librarians, and they in turn eventually got used to me. One of them allowed me to look at a special archival book on the history of my neighborhood. It was a hefty album filled with aging photos, clippings, and maps, and I thought it was wonderful.
No shushing allowed in today’s libraries! Now they are filled with joyful noises, with children using LEGOs, listening to stories, and delighting in the VOX books that delight me as well. What would the librarians of the past think of yoga, exercise classes, dinosaur digs, and stargazing? I imagine they would approve, but it would take a bit of getting used to.
Speaking of getting used to something, it might take you a minute to get acquainted with all the new and fun materials available with a library card. In addition to movies, games, audiobooks, and comics, today’s libraries lend items such as tools and musical instruments, help newcomers become Americans, and provide resources that would have unthinkable decades ago. Change is good.
Just in case you needed more reasons to love your Richmond Public Library, here are some reading suggestions about libraries from RPL’s catalog. Come celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month with us. We’ll be waiting for you!
Children’s Books
A Library Book for Bear
Bonnie Becker, author; Kady MacDonald Denton, illustrator
Bear and his friend Mouse go to the library for some reading adventure.
Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library
Julie Gassman, author; Andy Elkerton, illustrator
Bear and his friend Mouse go to the library for some reading adventures.
The Book that Jake Borrowed/El Libro Que Jake Tomó Prestado
Susan Holt Kralovansky, author and illustrator; Katherine Adams, translator. Bilingual Spanish edition
Jake has a problem with a book he has borrowed and learns about consequences.
Lola at the Library
Anna McQuinn, author; Rosalind Beardshaw, illustrator
Lola and her mother go to the library every Tuesday and enjoy their special day together.
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
Lisa Papp, author and illustrator
Madeline gains confidence in reading by sharing stories with the library dog.
Library Day
Anne F. Rockwell, author; Lizz Rockwell, illustrator
A child visits a library for the first time and is amazed.
Juvenile Fiction/Tween & Teen/Young Adult Books
Heidi Heckelbeck and the Lost Library Book
Wanda Coven, author; Priscilla Burris, illustrator
A girl experiences magical adventures with a special library book.
The Night Librarian
Christopher Lincoln, author and illustrator
A library is an enchanting place for siblings who discover dragons, villains, and a giant beanstalk!
The Secret Library
Kekla Magoon, author; Brittany Jackson, illustrator
A family mystery brings Dally to search for clues at her local library.
The Librarian of Auschwitz
adapted by Salva Rubio
Fourteen-year-old Dita safeguards books that prisoners are trying to smuggle out of the death camp. A young adult graphic novel based on a true story.
Adult Fiction Books
The Littlest Library
Poppy Alexander
A librarian decides to create a little library using her late grandmother’s precious books. Also available in Large Print.
The Personal Librarian
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
A woman is hired to curate J.P. Morgan’s personal library but struggles to keep her identity secret. Also available in Large Print.
The Giver of Stars
Jojo Moyes
The events in the life of a travelling librarian in Kentucky during the Depression.
The Last Chance Library
Freya Sampson
A librarian joins her community to fight the closure of their local branch. Also available in Large Print.
Adult Non-Fiction Books
The Public Library: a Photographic Essay
Robert Dawson
A bibliophile’s delight! Images and essays that pay tribute to America’s public libraries.
The True Tales of Baker and Taylor
Jan Louch with Lisa Rogak
A delightful story about two library cats and the patrons and staff who grew to love them.
Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library
Amanda Oliver
An honest and sometimes challenging book about the struggles of an urban librarian.
The Library Book
Susan Orlean
The investigative journalist’s study of the devastating fire that destroyed Los Angeles’ main library, and her thoughts on libraries in general.
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians
James Patterson and Matt Eversmann with Chris Mooney
Various contributors share how they grew to love libraries and how they share the love today!
Part of Our Lives: a People’s History of the American Public Library
Wayne A. Weigand
An in-depth look at the history and influence of our country’s libraries, both public and private.
“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” Susan Orlean, The Library Book
