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Lit: Celebrating Library Workers

October is National Library Month
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Saara Itkonen is the chief librarian at the Creston Valley Public Library. (Photo credit Brian Lawrence) Saara Itkonen is the chief librarian at the Creston Valley Public Library. (Photo by Brian Lawrence)

By Saara Itkonen, Library Director, Creston Valley Public Library

October is National Library Month in Canada. Here at the Creston Valley Public Library, this is the time of year where we ask you, our patrons and community members, to let us know what the library means to you.

Has the public library provided service to you in your life? Have you read a particularly entertaining book or watched a movie that made you forget about everything happening in the world right now? Maybe you could take a moment to pop into our library branch and fill out a comment form or let one of our staff members know how you feel about our library. We always welcome contributions to our snack table or new plants for our public space. If you don’t have time to stop by, a comment on our Facebook page or a message, email, or card would also be very welcome at this time.

If you’re feeling especially thankful, consider making a donation to support library operating costs. We accept donations in person and also have an online donate button on our website at crestonlibrary.com.

Perhaps you have time to write to our local MLA Brittny Anderson to ask the provincial government to increase the annual operational funding to public libraries, which has remained the exact same amount since 2009! You can learn about the ongoing efforts to increase provincial library funding at www.bclta.ca/provincial-funding.

Or if you’re not the activist type, we encourage you to celebrate by reading some of our favourite books about libraries. Here’s some titles, for all ages, that you might enjoy:

The Library Book - by Susan Orlean - Adult Non-Fiction

The unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and a dazzling homage to a beloved institution – our libraries.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library - by Chris Grabenstein - Junior Fiction

To officially open the new library, a few lucky kids get to spend the night inside as they try to win Mr. Lemoncello’s game and be the first team to escape.

The Librarian of Basra: A true story from Iraq - by Jeanette Winter - Picture Book

Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library—along with the thirty thousand books within it—will be destroyed forever.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue - by Fiona Davis - Adult Fiction

A series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.

The Library of Lost & Found - by Phaedra Patrick - Adult Fiction

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people - though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible. All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep.

Sorcery of Thorns - by Margaret Rogerson - Young Adult Fiction

When an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

The Midnight Library - by Matt Haig - Adult Fiction

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

We thank you for your continued support for public libraries. Let’s take time this month to thank our library workers for their continued work to support our community and give them a healthy morale boost before we head into the colder months of the year.

Happy National Library Month!

READ MORE: Lit: Speaking Out About Banning Books