To Libraries, with Love
Most of us at the Long Beach Public Library Foundation have early memories of exploring the library—getting our first library card, joining storytime in the children’s area, participating in the free programs. I remember folding a lot of origami with my sisters at a small table by the periodicals with a kind older man who came to teach anyone and everyone each week how to make a crane, a box, a jumping frog. I wasn’t very good, but he was very patient. And the books! First board books and thin picture books, then fairy tales and stories of adventure, coming of age novels, almanacs and how-to guides, books of poetry, plays, classics, brand new releases, random finds, books with beautiful covers and ugly bindings and bizarre titles and pages that smell of leather and possibility.
We love libraries. And when you love something very much, you want to show it how much you care. No wonder we do what we do, finding ways to support and enhance each precious branch of our library system to bring more people in, put more books on the shelves, find more ways to provide services and resources for the half-million Long Beach residents who could wander through the library doors Tuesday through Sunday. We love the library, because the library has loved us for as long as we can remember.
This Valentine’s Day, take a moment to ask how you too can show your library how much you care.