Cullen Harrison looks at a library book.
When I was about three years old my Mom was astounded when she thought I was reading along with her as she read one of my favorite books, “Jenny’s Surprise Summer.” Of course, I wasn’t actually reading I was just reciting the words as she turned the pages because we had read it so many times. I attribute my love of reading to the many hours spent as a child on my mother’s lap as she read to me.
I, too, have read aloud to my son, even before he was born. At age three, he sometimes doesn’t want to sit down for story time, but other times he’s perfectly content to snuggle up on my lap and help me turn the pages. Our house is full of books, some belonged to me or my husband when we were children. We have treasured books that were given to us as gifts at baby showers before our son was born. We also have a wonderful collection of books sent to us each month from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. I’m of the mindset that one can never have too many books.
I’m a sucker for buying a new book whenever I see a cute one, but I also love to check out books from the library for my son. Right now we have a large selection of fall and Halloween themed children’s books checked out from the library. I even managed to find a book called “Gus was a Friendly Ghost” that I remember checking out multiple times from my school library when I was a child.
The library really is a most amazing place. My son was only a few weeks old when I pushed him in his stroller into my local library to sign him up for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. (If you aren’t familiar with this program, it is a wonderful project sponsored by Dolly Parton to send free books to children from birth to age five.)
The pandemic has shattered our world as we know it, but if we’re playing The Glad Game, like Pollyanna, I have to say that I do love the curbside pick-up option at my library that is a result of the safety precautions. I can go online to nwrl.org and find almost any book I want, even books from outside our region through N.C. Cardinal. I get a text notification on my phone when the book arrives at the Boonville Community Public Library. I can pull up right outside the building, call my friendly library staff and they will deliver my book right to my car. This means not having to wake a sleeping toddler, or unbuckle and rebuckle a toddler into a car seat! I sincerely hope that curbside service will continue even after the pandemic. It is a true gift for moms with little ones.
As we’ve been spending more time at home these days due to the pandemic, the library has been a terrific resource to keep us busy. I’ve checked out a lot of cookbooks in recent months in addition to children’s books. In Surry County the budget was cut this year for library services though library leaders tell me they are hopeful some of those funds can be restored once the uncertainty of the pandemic is over. In Yadkin County, luckily the budget remained the same as last year, though I’m sure library leaders were hoping for a small increase. I know this is a challenging time for our elected leaders making decisions about funding, but I really hope they take into account just how valuable library services are, now more than ever. While I mainly have been using the library for the obvious reason, checking out books, many in our area rely on the library for access to free WiFi as well as using the computers to job hunt.
For more information on local library resources visit nwrl.org. For more information on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library visit imaginationlibrary.com.
Kitsey Burns Harrison is editor of The Tribune. Here she shares her musings on life, love, and motherhood. She may be reached at 336-258-4035 or on Twitter and Instagram @RippleReporterK.