My Personal Experience

by Amber Simpson

I do not remember when I fell in love with reading. This could have been in elementary school during English. This could have been when my grandmother would read my sister and I stories to put us to sleep. Most likely I fell in love with reading when my grandmother would take my sister and I to the Idabel Public Library during our summer months. We began this tradition when I was very young and have continued the tradition as I have continued my love of reading. My summer months are parallel to Belle of Beauty and the Beast as she rechecks her favorite book. A favorite book becomes another person. I have grown to love libraries because libraries are the home of my “friends,” “acquaintances,” and “family” which I have grown to love.

Reading has always been precedent in my life. I love reading about adventure, danger, romance and happy endings. My favorite section in the library is the classic section, filled with books that have made an impact on many and have continued to change the way people think. Treasure Island, Wuthering Heights, Of Mice and Men, all of these have left an impression on American culture and have become a part of my subconscious. Another book that has a part in my heart is The Witch of Blackbird Pond. This book is no literary work of art. This book was not controversial in schools. This book merely became a part of my soul. A story does not have to be grandiose to impact a life. A story, much like a library, must merely be available to become important and leave an impression.

Libraries and books are not only important for pleasure reading, but also for learning. As Montag of Fahrenheit 451 discovers, a monotonous life with no knowledge of history or literature is unfulfilling. Libraries record as well as educate. Libraries house our founding documents, as well as many important non-fiction books that are important to our view and remembrance of history. Elie Wiesel’s Night for example, vividly displays the horrors of the Holocaust. People need history to know how our world has developed and to honor the memory of those who have changed our world. A library can also offer spiritual hope with works such as the Bible. I take pleasure in knowing about places outside of my home and great people of the world, but I realize that knowing what I believe in is the most essential to my life.

Libraries, books, ideas, dialogue, and characters continue to shape the person I will become. Libraries have the power to educate and transform my thoughts, speech, actions, and identity when I allow literature to become important in my life. Libraries are important to me because I care about the choices I will make and the actions I will take.

In Pendragon: The Never War, in the year 5010 all information in the library is virtual. Books become obsolete. I sincerely hope that the future of libraries is less drastic and bleak. I would hate for a computer or a hologram to take the place of the pages of my favorite novels. The future of the Idabel Public Library is much more hopeful. A new, larger library is being built with more books and a new teen section. With a new library, maybe more people will learn to love reading in the way I have. In the future of my library, my sister, my grandmother and I will continue to journey back to the Idabel Public Library and personally experience the joy of the written word.