I remember doing just that every summer when I was about 7 or 8 yrs old. I had a big old coaster bike with a wire basket on the handlebars and a bell. Myself and several other neighbourhood kids would hop on our bikes and ride to the Brock Corydon Library - about a 15 minute ride from our homes - we did this many times during the summer holidays. We stayed there for hours - down in the basement where the children's section of the library was. We all picked different books, stacks and stacks of them, some to take home and read, others to read while we were there.
We didn't have cell phones, our mothers knew where we were, but most of them didn't drive - anyway those were the days when a family only had one car, so they wouldn't have had access to a car, even if they did drive! We didn't wear helmets, carried no ID - except for the library card - which had no personal identification on it whatsoever, and most of us didn't even wear a watch!
How lucky we were to be children in those carefree (for my friends and I) times!
The very next day we would meet at someones house, or on someones front steps or yard. We had books... if we were outside we even had blankets. We would spread ourselves out wherever we were and read...We read through our own piles of books and then we exchanged books between us, so that we had endless reading material all summer long.
When I was a little older - maybe 13 or so, I spent a lot of my summer holidays on my uncle's farm. My cousins and I had chores and work to do around the farm, but my cousin Jeannie and myself always found time to read. They didn't have a library out there, but my aunt did have boxes of Harlequin Romance Novels under her bed - which we snuck out while she wasn't watching. We couldn't read them in the house without getting caught - so we hopped on two really old coaster bikes, and headed down the country road about a half a mile. We would lie in the ditch and read romance novels any chance we could...
How delightfully naughty!
I doubt very much children of today would be terribly excited to spend a day back in 1962, but I wouldn't trade those days or the memories of those times, for anything!
This morning I went down to our town library to do my cleaning. While I was on my hands and knees stripping some more floor tiles, it struck me why I so enjoy being in this little library. It's because it is so very much like the basement children's section of the Brock Corydon Library was, when I was a child. It is small, cozy, and just has that comforting feel of a place you could just go and sit and read for awhile.
I had my cell phone with me so I took some photos to share with you.
Here is the isle I have been stripping the past couple of days, you can see the difference a good scrubbing on hands and knees is doing to this floor. And then the finished isle - so much better!
The Children's section and the computer stations where customers can use the Internet.
The research area...
A stage and play area, where children put on skits at library camp during the year - and a nice cozy chair for story-time!
Several times a year all the material in the library is rotated to and from other libraries in the district. This has been in progress for the past few weeks, so there will be fresh reading material for the summer months!
You might have noticed the art work hanging on the walls throughout the space. The library showcases Artisan's in the community and their works. Currently being showcased is someones art work. The work will hang on the walls for a few months and is available for purchase to anyone in the community.
Below - The library in it's entirety, front to back... pretty much just one large room - but so much to offer to this little community.
Hope you enjoyed the tour!
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