‘Carnegie Carnegie’: Forever in my heart and mind
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September is “Love Your Library” month. ACLA, the Allegheny County Library Association, sponsors “Love Your Library” month for the 46 public libraries in our county.
The Buncher Foundation has generally donated $200,000 for a prorated match for donations to local libraries made during the month.
In gathering my thoughts on what to write for this month’s column, I was chatting with Maggie Forbes, the executive director of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall. She mentioned that she thought “Love MY Library” might be a more accurate name for the campaign.
I realized that I wanted to write about why I love my library so much.
This is a bittersweet column to write because it will be my last. I have resigned my position as the coordinator of youth services to pursue a new path. I am thankful to Maggie for giving me the opportunity to say farewell and share some of my thoughts and memories about the wonderful “Carnegie Carnegie.”
I started out working the circulation desk for several hours on Thursdays when my youngest child started kindergarten. We had been regulars at storytime, but it was time for her and me to move on.
On the desk, Jo Vetter mentored me, patiently showing me how to work the software to check out books. (Jo and Katie Byerly always made it look so easy. You scan the books in. You scan the library cards and then the books, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes). Jo and Katie led by example with their desire to help our patrons with a smile.
After a while, I was asked if I’d like to do storytime with the children. I accepted and never looked back. Everyone who knows me knows that was my favorite part of working at the library.
How grateful I am for all of the children, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and caregivers that I have interacted with. There was never a time where I didn’t look forward to reading, singing, crafting and chatting with “my kids.”
Those hugs that I would get upon greeting them always buoyed me up. I even was given a very special nick name by one little girl. She called me “Gamtar,” which her mother assured me was a compliment; I had hair like her grandma and played the guitar — Gamtar! It made me feel Real, like the Skin Horse in Marjorie William’s “Velveteen Rabbit.”
I took great pride in our little groups as we’d learn new songs and enjoy stories together. One mother wrote me a lovely thank you and mentioned that she appreciated the community that we’d had with the storytime groups. That touched me deeply.
Building community was an important part of what I wanted to do from the beginning. I wanted all the children and adults to feel welcomed, even the ones who had a hard time sitting down and listening. I wanted the adults to want to stay and socialize while their little ones played together with the toys.
In a previous article, I mentioned how my daughter has grown up despite my wishing to keep her young for a few more years. She is now a senior and goes to school with some of her old storytime friends, classmates who are still her friends. That is what I wish for the families and friends who attended my storytimes: friendships that are lifelong.
I am so grateful for patrons who shared their friendship and lives with me. How often I have appreciated having a book or movie recommended to me. I am grateful that I worked at the library and not a bookstore, because I probably would have spent too much of my salary on books. Luckily, being at the library, I can borrow all the books I want and not have to find homes for them at my house. (My husband thinks we have too many bookshelves. I know, I know, but I love him anyway.)
I have really enjoyed being part of a vibrant and living institution. There are so many resources available through the Carnegie Carnegie, at all libraries.
Of course, we have print books, audio books, e-books, books that you can listen to or read on your phone. We have incredible e-resources. All you need is a library card to access them.
You can also access Tutor.com, a tutoring site that usually charges a subscription fee. With your library card, you can get help with any subject from elementary school to college courses for free! There are databases that make writing a paper and creating a works cited page as simple as clicking a mouse.
Library director Walker Evans and I had done a presentation at Carlynton Junior-Senior High School for all students enrolled in English classes. We told them about “Creativebug,” a resource with classes that can teach you just about anything. I received a lovely note from a student wrote to let me know that she’d wanted to learn to crochet. She’d tried the crochet class and was busy crocheting different projects and really enjoying it.
I am grateful to my co-workers, Maggie, Heidi, Walker, Nate, Katie, Alice, Christian, Jon-Erik, Denise and Mike. It has been such a pleasure to work with you all.
Thank you, as well, to the board of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall. There’s always so much going on with the library, music hall and Capt. Thomas Espy Post No.153 of the Grand Army of the Republic, not to mention the studio and Lincoln Gallery and beautiful Library Park.
I am so thankful that this library will still be my home library, and I hope to see many of you out and about in the community. Please say hello. I’m sure I’ll see you at the library, as I plan to be extra diligent about returning my books on time.
Thank you for everything. I won’t say goodbye, but I’ll finish with: I’ll see you later.