Mama Bear Moxie: Rediscover the magic of the library

I am a physical book kind of girl. No Kindles or ebooks for me. I prefer the typed words on the page. There is something connective about holding a book in your hands. I love everything about it: the weight of the cover, the cut of the pages, the size of the font, the sound of a new book being opened. All of it. These are things the electronic versions just can’t produce. You can’t truly connect to book, the way the author intended, without physically holding it all within your hands.

My love for the written word started at a very young age. My focus in college was in English and the way that words could convey a point, an emotion. There is something so powerful in the way that our language can be put together. It fascinates me.

So I guess it isn’t too surprising that I have a soft spot for libraries. I am always so amazed at the feeling of walking into a building filled with such a so much knowledge. So much information. I could spend hours in the library. I have fond memories of taking my littles to story time at our local library and would share in their excitement of all of the books at eye level. I always found it so interesting as to what a child would pluck from the shelves when given the freedom of choice. I would select the books with the best covers or the interesting titles, but my boys would always seem to find the old books with neutral covers that were obviously well loved.

Many libraries are somewhat forgotten in communities. For some reason, libraries have a tendency to get lost in our over stimulated and busy shuffle of life. How much rich history are we missing? Libraries are a foundation of our society.

And libraries are free. Well, maybe not exactly free if you pay property taxes, but the library is easily the best deal around. It is a staple for young families who live on a tight budget but still need to get out of the house. And libraries aren’t just about books anymore. Many libraries have access to computers, internet, magazines, audio files, DVDs, CDs, books on tape, newspapers and microfilm. There is literally something for everyone at the library.

If you haven’t graced the hallowed halls of your library recently, I encourage you to stop by sometime. The library staff is a fantastic resource in finding, really, whatever your heart desires. Try a new genre, a different era or a new medium all together. Ponder the time, the energy, the many failures that an author has to endure before getting their book to print and available to the public. The library is a fantastic maze of information … go get lost in it!