When we shared this poem My First Memory (of Librarians), by Nikki Giovanni,
we asked our Upper School students, Faculty and Staff for their first memory of libraries and here are some of the responses:
Shortly after moving to the United States, I was around 3 years old, my father would take me to our local library every single day to get books on tape so that I could learn English. We did this until I went to school and it's probably the reason why I am fully bilingual. -GV
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One of the things I remember about my visits to my elementary school's library was a curiosity about the Dewey Decimal System. I would walk through each aisle and along the shelves on the perimeter, putting myself in Mr. Dewey's shoes and trying to decipher the code. For some reason, I felt the need to memorize the system—perhaps because I saw its importance tantamount to memorizing my times tables.
As I perused, I'd ask myself, "What kind of reader am I? Where will I spend the most time reading?" I didn't end up memorizing it, but I've held on to my deep appreciation for it. -CK
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I would check out The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe on VHS nearly every other week from my neighborhood library. I loved it! -KC
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I remember my librarian was a black lady, and I'd never seen a black librarian before. She would slide up to me with new stacks of books each week since she knew that I tended to speed through my classwork and stir up trouble. After I read a book, I would then have to tell her about what I'd read. -RT
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I desperately wanted to check books out under my own name, but to do that I needed a library card, and could only get one if I could sign my name...in cursive! I worked so hard to learn my signature so I could put it on my very first library card and officially borrow books. -KC
These memories were too good not to share! Libraries are amazing places to make memories, and we hope you will stop in the Prescott Libraries to make some of your own. Here are the four other poems we shared last week. Happy Reading and Happy National Poetry Month!
Branch Library, by Edward Hirsch