Why the "library" is so wonderful to me!

Libraries, in general, are very special to me. It all started when I was very young and our library was on the way to my brother's school. I was not old enough to be in school yet. Anyway, My Mother and I stopped almost every day and I was able to get as many books as I wanted. I loved the way the new books smelled and felt. I thought it was absolutely magical the way the cover was shiny. I still feel that way about books. As I grew up, the library was always a place to be myself. When I was in Jr. High, my lovely library was sold and actually became someone's house.
My grade school librarian also made a huge impact on me. She was just an awesome person who at a very young age suffered debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. This was in the day of the card catalog and everything was done by hand. Her hands were so arthritic, that they folded into a claw like position and she could not even open any of her fingers. No matter how she felt, she never showed it to her students but always made us feel special. She loved her job and often shared with us great new books and big smiles.
When I was young, my favorite books were Curious George and The Color Kittens. When I was in Jr. High, I loved Northwest Passage. My favorite book in college was anything by Leo Buscaglia. Anyone remember him? Check out this web site: www.leobuscaglia.com/. My favorite books now are The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter and The Frontiersmen by Allan Eckert.