Because last Friday was a mess on my blog, Christie suggested I offer you the chance to talk about libraries or bookmobiles again in case you didn’t get in that day, or couldn’t read the blog. I know I got in late, and, hopefully read and responded to most of you before I lost my blog for most of the weekend.
So, to kick off the library recap, I thought I’d give you a few highlights of my two years as manager of the Captiva Memorial Library. It didn’t look like this when I was manager. The library is on Captiva Island, and has had some issues since I left since the community had to deal with a couple hurricanes. This is the renovated library.
I haven’t seen it in recent years. When I was there, the library was in the half of the building that’s on the left in the picture. The Captiva Civic Association’s Community Center was to the right. It truly was an island library with a beautiful collection of art books, and an active popular collection that was always overcrowded for the space. It sits next to the historic cemetery and Chapel by the Sea, with the beach just beyond. In fact, one summer, for the children’s summer reading program and a pirate theme, we buried a treasure chest on the beach. I don’t think we could do that today, taking kids to the beach.
There were so many highlights in just a couple years there. I’ll list just three.
When I became the manager, the previous manager had been working on a project for a while. I benefited. Patricia Neal’s daughter lived on Captiva. When the Academy Award-winning actress came to visit, we hosted her at the library for a birthday celebration. For those who don’t remember her, she won the Oscar for Hud. She was Roald Dahl’s ex-wife. He and a group of therapists worked with her for two years after her aneurysms and subsequent coma. She had to be taught to do everything including speak, all over again. Neal was honest, and talked about her life with him, her movies, and her affair with Gary Cooper. My first event at Captiva? Hosting a birthday party for Patricia Neal!
Jean Shepherd was the author of “A Christmas Story”. As I said, Captiva was an island library, and summers were very slow at the library, sometimes with only 8 or 10 people visiting. One day, Jean Shepherd came in, while I was the only person at the library. He pulled up a chair at the desk, and started to talk. He sat there for over an hour, and told me stories, and talked about ideas he had for other stories. I couldn’t believe it, and the entire time, I’m sitting there thinking, “Jean Shepherd is sitting across from me telling me stories!” I still find it unbelievable.
Of course, you remember Reading Rainbow. I was at the library one day when the editor of the local newspaper came in, and said she was there to take me on a boat ride. You could only get to Upper Captiva (North Captiva Island) by boat. LeVar Burton was taping an episode of Reading Rainbow on the island. She had an interview scheduled with him, and she brought me along so I could meet him.
I could tell you more stories, and I do have photos (probably in a box under a bed), but those are the highlights of my Captiva Library stories.
I don’t expect you to have those kind of library experiences (other than Lindy’s crickets story), but here’s a chance to add to any memories you wanted to share. Anything mroe about libraries or bookmobiles?
I quite enjoyed reading these three highlights from your time at the Captiva Memorial Library! So glad you shared them Lesa.
Thank you, Lindy. Very special years there.
I love those stories, particularly the Jean Shepherd.
I knew you’d like that one, Jeff!
This works out well since I completely forgot to come and post last week.
The town I grew up in in Northern California had two different libraries, but the main one in downtown was from 190X and a Carneige library. It was made out of stone and so much fun. For a couple of years, we went there every week, and I’d go visit my “friends,” aka the books by authors I liked, to see what was in stock and what wasn’t. Even if I’d read all the books, I had to look at them.
And I checked out plenty. I often checked out more than I could ever read, but I sure would try. Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Encyclopedia Brown, Beverly Cleary, Alfred Sloat, Oz, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, The Great Brain, Elizabeth George Speare. I’d also visit list library in high school since it was the best one for doing research.
When I was going to the local junior college, they built a third library in town, which is walking distance from my parents’. It was there I was checking out Mrs. Pollifax books the summer I first found that series. Never spent much time there.
The town I live in now has three branches as well. It’s always had three in the 30+ years I’ve lived here, although two of them are in new, larger, locations. But the one that was in a house was so cozy. I miss that location. When I first moved here, we were part of the LA County system. Then, we broke away and were part of the Independent So Cal libraries. Now, we are just on our own. Which makes me happy I have access to LA County (with a branch in town, now that I think about it), and LA City as well. It’s LA City that I tend to use the most for audio books since they have most of the ones I want to listen to.
Oh, good, Mark. I usually notice when people aren’t there who regularly post, but Friday was such a mess that I didn’t. Thank you! I love that you always had choices for the libraries that worked best for you. You’re right. Those Carnegie libraries were so nice. They were planned well.
I loved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! A lot of other authors I liked a lot of your other favorites, but that one jumped out at me.
I had to suggest Lesa have a repeat on this topic, because I didn’t get to comment. The library in Huron, which she showed last week, was obviously my library too. I loved the summer reading program and especially loved the puppet shows they would sometimes have as part of story time. We had to give book reports on the books we read to get our stickers to fill out the chart. Sometimes they were written and sometimes oral. I had a hard time condensing the story so I wasn’t taking up too much of the librarian’s time with my summary. As an adult I found out that Lesa’s favorite children’s librarian, Millie Schillman (❤️) loved to listen to my reports.
Thanks to Lesa, I was fortunate enough to work at that library as a page while I was in high school. She had been a page, Linda got the job when Lesa graduated and went to college, and then I followed next. While I never listened to book reports, one summer I did get to help with the end of season puppet show!
The library was remodeled while I worked there and we moved most of the collection to the basement. The public area was still upstairs and part of my job would be to go down and retrieve requested books for patrons from behind the plastic sheets covering the shelves.
I don’t spend a lot of time now browsing the shelves at my local library, because Lesa and all of you give me so many recommendations. I just request the book and pick it up, or read the ebook. But I have been there a lot more since I started babysitting my grandson. I try to keep a fresh supply of books for him. I’m not usually a book buyer. Our dad always said you didn’t need to buy a book if you could get it free at the library (Lesa obviously didn’t learn that lesson🤭) but last week I did buy a new book for my grandson because he liked it so well when I got it from the library. I can’t wait to start taking him to story time in the fall.
Christie, I loved reading about your Huron Library memories. Was helping with the puppet show that one time as much fun as when you watched the shows as a young child?
I have no memories of any particular librarian at any library I’ve gone to, either when I was younger or now. When I was very young my parents never, not even once, took me to a library, and when I discovered the library on my own when I was a bit older I just went straight to the books. But these days it seems every time I go in one, the staff is different from the time before. It’s hard to get attached to anyone. Also, libraries sound like friendlier places where you live; here the staff seem to sit in their offices a lot and only come out if they see you standing there.
Out of curiosity, what is the book your grandson likes so much that you bought a copy for him?
Yes, Lindy, I think that helping with the puppet show was just as much fun.
The book I bought is 10 Little Tractors by Annie Bailey. My grandson lives on a farm and is obsessed with tractors. And part of the reason I bought it is because when my husband reads it to him, he includes extra details about the make and model and which ones his other grandfather and dad own. It warms my heart to see them interact with books.
We were fortunate our parents took us to the library as children, at least every two weeks to return our books. We certainly didn’t want that fine for late returns!
I can’t remember who mentioned THE LIBRARY BOOK – probably Rosemary, as it is British – but I did want to put in a plug for it. After all, the Foreward says it began with ” a simple idea: to celebrate libraries.”
Some of the authors in this book (published by “The Reading Agency” in 2012, are Alan Bennett (who just turned 92; very good piece), Lucy Mangan, Val McDermid, and Ann Cleeves.
It was Rosemary. I’ll have to look for it, Jeff. Thank you!
That was charming, Christie to read your perspective of the “same” library. And it must memorable for the patrons to have one sister after another as library page.
Our library in Rochester Hills, Michigan, is a nice one. I especially like the Children’s Department, staffed with wonderfully friendly and helpful staff. Christie, I was excited to bring my grandson to storytime as well. He really enjoys it, but has also become the ringleader of mischief and leads the push to move around and explore!
And Mark, I liked all of the same authors as you, especially Elizabeth George Speare and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I have read the Mrs. Holiday books twice!
Christie, I loved your report on the Huron and Bellevue libraries. I don’t have the same memories you do. I don’t remember participating in summer reading programs at all! But, I know Millie loved to listen to book reports. Her desk was outside my office when I was Director, and she certainly enjoyed listening and talking to kids.
I don’t remember that earlier renovation either. Of course, I spent one summer at college, and then one in grad school, so I probably missed it.
That’s exciting to think of your grandson going to story time!
Darn auto correct. Mrs. Polifax
I was fortunate enough to grow up with a library I could ride my to in Willowick. But on weekends my aunts would take me to the South Euclid Library near my grandmother’s house in Lyndhurst. It was an old house converted with lots of great reading nooks. Very much similar to the Wagnalls Library I the Columbus area, Lesa.
Oh, I’ve been to Wagnalls a couple times, Sharon! My family went soon after I moved here, and I took my best friend. Fun library, isn’t it? The Willard Public Library in Evansville, IN is another fun one. It’s not part of the county system. It’s older, and independent. And, they celebrate their ghost, The Grey Lady.
What wonderful stories you all have! I think I’ve already told you all that when my sister and I were children, our mother was a librarian at a small school (not the one we went to) and ordered wonderful children’s books for “her” pupils every school year. The books would arrive in August, a few weeks before school began, and we would go with her to her library (which was blessedly air-conditioned) and help her unpack all the new books. Many of them were ones we wanted to read, and we always got to take our favorites home before school started, when they had to be back in their proper places!
Wasn’t it wonderful to be the first ones to read those new books, Kim? I used to love to unpack new books and see them first.
I couldn’t get in last week and I did want to share. My first library memory is going with my father to the Defiance Ohio public library when I was three or four. They kept patrons’ library cards on a spinner rack on the counter, and my father would lift me up to sit on the counter and find his card.
We moved to Canton Ohio and I was a member of the Canton Public Library’s teen book review group. The librarian in charge of the group, Jan Polachek, inspired me to become a librarian. I wrote a short piece about that which was published many years ago in THE VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES.
Great experiences for a child, Cindy, spinning the rack, and being part of a review group. And, it’s so great that you still remember the name of the librarian who inspired you! I’m glad you could get in this week.
I love Patricia Neal – especially in Spencer’s Mountain – the movie that inspired the Walton’s tv show to be made. Also her movie with John Wayne, “In Harm’s Way”, which marked her comeback from her stroke. In Spencer’s Mountain she still has a definitive way of talking that I’m sure was not the same as before the stroke. So cool that you got to sit and chat with her, Lesa!
That was my first fun experience at Captiva, MM. You’re right. I still have to pinch myself that I actually met her!