I have always found safety in the library. When I was younger I would sit in the library for hours using digital resources that were not yet accessible in households. I often checked out the maximum amount of books possible and stayed up late to read all my new treasures. As an adult I enjoy traveling around the North Shore with my daughter exploring our local libraries and watching her fall in love with reading the same way I did. Seeing the library and all of its wonderful amenities through my daughter’s eyes reminds me of how I used to feel too. Our libraries are essential for creating a new generation of readers. Readers who enjoy nothing more than picking up a good book and escaping to different worlds full of imagination and excitement.

“I’ve loved the library since I was kid. It was more than just the portal to my next book, my next escape. It was my way to find the beauty in the world around me when escape wasn’t enough. To this day the access to countless nature books encourages me to embrace the outdoors when leaving my home feels daunting. The struggles of a sad outcast finding family and overcoming odds helps me understand and even befriend my people around me. Not to mention, the free access to computers and a quiet place to study helped me graduate high school (and make friends! Imagining being in school and not knowing what Youtube was in 2006) will soon help me get my Associates degree.”

Summer is reminiscent of the library to me. Stepping out of the bright summer sun with the humid air clinging to your skin into a blast of AC with the smells of more books than you could imagine in the air. As a child the summer reading challenge was one I took seriously, heading to the library with my father and younger brother to check out new adventures and characters to meet through the school break. As I walk through my local Athenaeum at 25 I think back to a younger version of myself who found safety and escape in the pages of books and some of her favorite series and lessons. How lucky are we to have a space that grows up with us, one we can enjoy as a child through our adulthood. The older I become the more I see the need for libraries and the joy they bring to communities. As our world changes and societies values shift I feel grateful that no matter what books I am looking for I have a place to turn to. The library has helped me sustain my life long hobby while lowering my consumption as well as saving money. There is also some magic to holding the same book that others before you enjoyed. Having found myself in the Nonprofit Sector it feels full circle to understanding how pivotal this resource was and still is in my life. I have come to the realization that between the annual sale and use of the library I am able to almost fully cut out any need to purchase new books and instead could make a donation to the library while saving money and taking advantage of the services right at our finger tips.

My family and I are constantly at the library. We take advantage of borrowing books, movies, games, puzzles, snowshoes, a telescope, museum passes, and in person programs for adults and kids. It has greatly enriched our lives. The Amesbury public library is amazing!