"Not having that bike, it's a huge deficit in his life"
You can get many things at the library with a library card: free movies, music, books, e-books, downloads, classes and, of course, there are trained information professionals - librarians - to help you find what you’re looking for.
Last month, 12-year-old Hieu Nguyen received something extra special at the library: a new bike.
The Philadelphia Inquirer last week featured Hieu’s story. After moving with his family from Vietnam to Philadelphia in December, Hieu’s aunt introduced him to the library as a place to do his homework. He became a frequent visitor of nearby branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia; this summer, he read more books than any other summer reading program participant at the Santore branch.
One day while Hieu was in the library, someone stole the front wheel of the bike he uses to get to the library, but the bike wasn’t even his; it belonged to the family’s landlord, and his mother used it to get to the market. Knowing how important the bike was to the family and to Hieu, the branch librarians picked up a new bike for the boy at Goodwill and presented it to him the next week.
"The first time I saw him, he was just this fearless little non-English-speaking kid with huge dimples and a huge smile who decides he can use these public libraries to get through this country to develop language skills and community and create a space for himself. He's done that with such tenacity. Not having that bike, it's a huge deficit in his life," said Heather Warren, a librarian at the Whitman branch.
(psst: September is Library Card Sign-up Month. If you don’t have a library card, getting one is easy.)
Find more ideas for spending time with family at the library in the Connect with your kids @ your library Family Activity Guide.
Photo from Philly.com
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