The book is Mysteries of the Ozarks, which includes my story "The Shape of a Heart." I gave away a copy of MOO earlier this year and the response was so good, I wanted to do it again.One winner's name will be selected at random from everyone who leaves a comment about their favorite library memory between today and April 17. And by library, I'm including Bookmobiles, too!
My favorite library memories are of summers visiting the original Divoll Branch Library in the Hyde Park section of North St. Louis, Missouri. Divoll Library (which is no longer in operation) was a magnificient building that sat atop a hill not far from the Mississippi River, and one of the St. Louis libraries built with funds from Andrew Carnegie. I tried to find a photo of Divoll Library on the web, but couldn't find one. If I find one this week I will post it.
The highlights of each summer was a program called the Read Away Vacation club. At the beginning of the summer Mom enrolled us as club members. For each book checked out and read, the librarian put a star next to the member's name, and at the end of the summer, the librarian presented club members with certificates.
My parents were big believers in keeping us kids busy--and reading--during summer vacation. Trips to the library became part of my summer routine. Once a week, usually on a Monday, after the wash was taken off the line and clothes folded and put away, Mom put baby brother Timmy down for an afternoon nap (Bridget wasn't born yet). She handed the rest of us (Glenda, Kathleen, Jimmy and me) books to return from the previous week, along with our buff-colored library cards.
Entering the library was like walking into heaven. After racing up the wide concrete steps, I opened the bronze-handled door and stepped inside. I took a few minutes to soak in the cool air, the whisper of fans, and the smell of fresh ink and musty books before running to the water fountain for a long, cool drink. Then my sister Kathleen and I headed to the section where the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books were shelved.
The highlight of the Read Away Vacation club occurred in late August, when the librarian presented us with our certificates. At the supper table Dad praised us, and after dishes, Mom wrapped the certificates in tissue paper and stored our prized certificates in her cedar chest along with baby books, Baptism and First Communion certificates, and yearly report cards.
It seems appropriate that memories of my mom and dad are so vivid today. Mom kept us busy during the summer while Dad was at work, but Dad was the person who instilled my siblings and me with a love for reading and learning, for learning's sake. "The more you know, the more you know you don't know," he would often say. (Translation: The more you learn, you realize you don't know that much in the first place.)
When we were little he read the "funny papers" to us, and when we got older, he quizzed our vocabulary by asking us to "help" him with the crossword puzzle then later the word jumbles in the daily paper.
Today marks 27 years since Daddy passed away. Although my dad encouraged us to read, he also told us, "Don't believe everything you read, especially in the newspaper."
So, in remembrance of my dad, James P. Duly, Sr., and in honor of National Library Week, I invite my visitors will leave a comment and share their favorite library memory.
