Libraries have always been an important part of my life. I have many warm memories of going to the public library with my mom and my siblings to check out books and to sit and read. We went often.

My grandmother was an elementary school librarian and I thought her job was magical. When we visited her, she would take us to her school library on weekends, and while she was working, my siblings and I had the entire library to ourselves and hundreds of books to explore. I still have several of the discarded books from her small library in Nyssa, Oregon. A discarded book from a library is certainly a treasure to a young book lover.

I remember listening to the librarians in my own elementary schools reading to us. We waited all week to hear the next chapters of the books they read. That is where I first heard the stories “Where the Red Fern Grows” and “Charlotte’s Web,” two favorites.

As a mother, I regularly visited the Orem Public Library and the Pleasant Grove Library, located in the two communities where we lived, with my children. Again, the magic happened when they found books they loved and actually got to take them home! When I drive by the Pleasant Grove Library today, I feel a bit emotional remembering our regular Saturday visits that don’t happen anymore now that my children are adults.

My own students in elementary school are often amazed when I tell them they can go to the public library and actually check out books for free. Again, the magic of libraries! What many people don’t realize is that a lot of children have no books in their homes. Having the ability to go to a library and borrow books at no cost is truly a miracle in these young children’s lives.

This past week was National Library Week. This is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions that our libraries and librarians make in our lives. It’s also a week to promote the support of libraries. A great way to support them is to simply visit and see what they have to offer. Books would be enough, but there is so much more.

National Library Week began in 1958 as a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association. It’s not just about public libraries, it’s about all libraries.

According to the ALA, “In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee’s goals were ambitious. They ranged from ‘encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time’ to ‘improving incomes and health’ and ‘developing strong and happy family life.'”

We can continue to recognize, celebrate and support libraries all year, not just during this one week. As for me, I think I’ll take out my old copy of “Homer Price” by Robert McCloskey, one of those treasured discarded books from my grandma’s library, and give it another read.

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