Indiana Writers' Consortium: Thank a Librarian

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Thank a Librarian

Writers owe a great deal to libraries. If we are published, we are grateful to the libraries that have purchased our books for their collections. But it goes much farther than that.

Many of us fed our love of reading at libraries. Even if that love started when our parents read to us at home, it wasn’t long before we began craving the additional books our school and public libraries had to offer.

That’s true for our readers as well. Without libraries to encourage their early love, would they be reading our books now? Some might, but many probably would not.

These days it is easy to buy books off the Internet. If we are looking for older classics or new authors, we may even be able to download them for free. But libraries still provide valuable services. Not everyone owns a computer or an e-reader for those free Internet books, but almost everyone has access to a public library. The library offers books and movies and computers and Internet access for those who can’t afford to purchase them. Some writers even rely on that Internet access to research their books and to communicate with online critique partners. Librarians can also be invaluable sources for book recommendations. And there is much more.

Did you know that the second full week of April is National Library Week? Contact your local library for any special events it may be hosting. You can find information about national events at http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/factsheets/nationallibraryweek. If you read the State of America’s Libraries Report at http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2018 and click on “Issues and Trends,” you will discover the twelve most challenged books of 2018, including some that might surprise you.

And the next time you visit your local library, be sure to thank a librarian.

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