“One of my favorite things to do when I was little was go to the library. (It still is!) It’s really no surprise that I ended up getting my Masters degree in library science. Do you have any librarians in your family? What about fond memories of going to the library or help that you’ve received from a librarian? Feel free to share your links or stories in the comments.” Amy Johnson Crow giving this weeks instructions.
The library was one of my favorite places to go when I was young. This view has you walking into the adult library. The children’s entrance was on the right side of the building, you walked downstairs to the lower level. It had a big cozy couch in front of a massive fireplace and the kindest librarian in the world. As I got older she gave me a list of books that she thought I would like. My favorite was autobiographies.
My parents fostered a love of reading for all of their children. My mom was always reading and throwing out quotes from different books or poems. My dad had the most amazing voice for the different characters in stories. One of my best memories is of him reading Dr Suess books when I was little. He could do an evil laugh like the Grinch at the drop of a hat.
A few years ago I was in a group for art quilters called Art Quilts Around The World. We made small pieces based on a theme. The theme of Favorite Book inspired me to make this small book shaped quilt. I used the two photos I already posted plus a few more to explain how difficult it was to chose only one book. As I made the quilt I realized it was more the total experience of a shared story that was laughed, and discussed and even argued over that made a book special. So mine ended up showing the people I enjoyed sharing my reading experience with throughout my life.
Just before the pandemic broke out I started going to the library at The Minnesota Historical Society. They are a wonderful resource and I need to get back over there to do some more research about my husband’s family. The first time I went I learned about MOMS, Minnesota Official Marriage System. I found the record for my husband’s parents marriage. They lived in North Dakota so we were all surprised to find out they had crossed into Minnesota to get married. I have since found out several of his relatives did the same.
The library was one of my favorite spots to escape when I was young. Libraries are helpful in so many aspects of our lives and now they are a great place for genealogical research. Do you have any favorite memories of going to the library? Do you find it helpful now for your research? Do you have a relative who wrote a book?
My Tree in the Forest 