Your Stories
I should have been a librarian. I spent a lot of time in libraries when I was young and I’m grateful now that I can find whatever book I want about science, history, famous people or whatever by signing on with the app called Libby.
My first library (until 1953) was in North Branch, Mich. (population 900) in two rooms above the dime store. My school friend, another girl named Judy, lived across the hall from the library rooms. By the start of 8th grade, I had read all they had of Zane Grey, possibly 30 volumes, and even The Black Rose (later a movie with Orson Wells) and The Silver Chalice (a movie with Paul Newman, so compelling that even my folks went to a drive-in to see it). By 9th grade, I had moved to Imlay City, Mich (pop. 2,000) and got a job at the town library that I worked at until I left for college in 1958.
The first librarian I knew was Miss Myra Snow, a spinster who drove a Model T from North Branch to Imlay City, where she visited that librarian, Mrs. Butler (Did she actually have a first name? Forbidden to young helpers). Mrs. Butler was in her 80s and was pleased to have me there to move all the books one shelf down after she bought a new bookshelf for expansion. Mrs. Butler lived a block or so away in one of the architecturally significant mansions, but she had a spy directly across from the library at the shop where you could get your clothes altered.
The seamstress turned me in when she saw me and my boyfriend (future husband, Bill) go in after dark and then we didn’t turn on any lights. Bill was a student at Michigan State, so I went there too, and I had a library job lined up before classes even started.
I worked my way through college in 3 years at the Labor & Industrial Relations part of the MSU Library and when I graduated, my roommate Nancy took that job. A year later, Nancy graduated from MSU and started Library School at U. of Michigan.
It was a surprise years later (1968) when we found out we had each married somebody who wanted to live in Seattle. My husband (the 2nd one) was getting his Ph.D. in forestry and Nancy’s was working at Boeing. She worked as the head librarian in Newport Hills, Wash. I worked at the UW Dental School. I applied to the library school for a fellowship; they said, “Too bad, so sad. You already have too many credits.” Darn.
So later John and I moved to Duluth, Minn., and I got a job in financial aid (helping students get scholarships and loans). If I wanted a library book, I just walked down the hall to another part of my building.
I have taken classes in a lot of interesting subjects like accounting and Russian language since I got free tuition. I worked as a high school biology teacher and more often, as an office worker in various colleges. The free tuition was for me and my kids, except I never had any. I am still likely to look up answers several times a day, which is entertaining for me and I hope it’s entertaining for my husband Tom (my third) and our caregiver Brianne.
I need help around the house now, and Brianne helps shop for groceries, especially carrying them in from the car. I still think I would have made a good librarian, probably in the reference department of a college or large city library. Is there anything I can look up for you today?
-Judy
My story begins when I moved to Spokane around a month ago and I was handed so many homework assignments (10 weeks’ worth) to finish in a 1-month period. At home I have 4 siblings, so I could not study and do homework at home. So, I thought to myself “Hmm, why don’t I go to the library?” I have seen a lot of movies where people go study at the library, so I gave it a try. Because of that, I was able to finish 10 weeks’ worth of missing homework in only 3 days! I spent a total of 10 hours in a span of 3 days in the library studying and doing homework because it was a quiet area to do work without any distractions or people telling me to do stuff. Well, all in all I think the library is a great place to study or do homework. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day.
-Cayden
I just wanted to rave about how wonderful the Book Butler service is. I was so incredibly impressed with the books on CD that were chosen for me given my brief description on the form. I loved all the selections made for me, and I can’t wait to start listening on my commute from Cheney to Pullman twice a week. I need books on CD because my phone loses service in some spots. Thank you so much!
-Kelley
The county library is such a blessing. I home school. Having access to the great selection of books that the county libraries have to offer enriches each subject that I teach! I am so grateful for the time and effort that the librarians put in and the service the library provides. Thank you!
-Nicole
My family and I just recently moved to Washington from the other side of the country, and while we are waiting on our new home to be built, we are living in temporary housing. We started utilizing the Deer Park library as a resource for WIFI as we do not have access to it currently.
Almost daily I or my children are there using the computers and WIFI or grabbing a new book. Amy has been exceptionally helpful in helping me to complete items that I need to print, even when I was having trouble with my flash drive being read by the printer.
The library has also provided a great and safe place for my children to go to after school on the days when I am being held up with other matters. We are happy to have found such a wonderful facility that is so welcoming for all those who venture in. I have noted that, no matter what the situation is, the staff here is always willing to help the patrons, as well as they are always friendly and kind to everyone.
While I can not speak to for other locations within the county system, I can state that if our previous library would have been so welcoming we may have went more than a handful of times in 6 years. (We were living in the southwest desert.)
While our new home is scheduled to be completed soon and I will not be so dependent on the available resources provided here, I have complete confidence that my family will still make the Deer Park Library a staple in our lives.
Thank you to the ladies that work here and strive to provide help, kindness, and care to all those that enter. May you all have a wonderful Christmas season.
-Amanda
Thank you so much for offering me the tickets to the Spokane Symphony for September 9th. I have never been to a symphony or the Fox and thoroughly enjoyed the Bohemian Spirit.
I feel so fortunate to have received this honor from you and wish to thank you for your kindness toward me and for thinking of me.
While I was there, I met someone who loves to help people like I do. We really had quite a conversation, me working as a teacher with young children ant at Sacred Heart Hospital, and her working with teenagers at a special school. I wondered if we were supposed to be there and meet each other.
Thank you for thinking of me,
-Jack
Our family moved to the area in December, and as expected, new places can feel a bit lonely and unfamiliar. Then, we discovered the Otis Orchards Library just down the street. We have been amazed at the helpfulness of each staff as we come in. It feels like “our place” now.
My kids have been going to the activity time with Miss Tammy on Thursdays and I can not praise her enough! She quickly has developed a friendly relationship with my children who look forward to seeing her each week. We LOVE the activities!
We homeschool and as an educator, I truly appreciate the wide pool of literature and resources to pull from from the Library District. I can access things like “Story of the World” and great educational DVDs. Plus, being able to get it all packaged up and delivered to my local library… two thumbs up from me.
-Melissa
I would like to say thank you to the librarians at the Cheney Library. There was some confusion about a lost book and a simple phone call took care of it. The best part was that I had to leave the phone call when my students came back, but the problem was solved the next time I checked my account. Thank you so much for saving me the cost of replacing a book!
-Jamie
The Spokane County Library District is my go-to for a boredom buster. If I need some music, it’s there. If I need a movie, they’ve got it. SCLD has also helped me get through some tough school work as well. Thank you to everyone at SCLD!
-Mason
I started using the library system a lot more about one year ago and have especially enjoyed getting Kindle books from OverDrive. I have always enjoyed reading but since involving myself in the library my volume of reading has gone up tenfold (not joking at all). The library is a great public resource. Thank you for all you do!
-Shawn
The Spokane Valley Library has been a part of our family for 11 years! We started taking our daughter to family storytime when she was about 6 months old. I loved that there was an evening storytime because I worked during the day. We attended regularly until she was about 8 years old. I miss our evenings at the library but we still attend other events. Her favorite was also night at the library. She liked the after school events, although it’s harder to attend because they start at 4pm. I also have to say that my favorite event is the Summer Reading Program. Every year we get the opportunity to learn, hear, and see something new. My favorite is when the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center comes and they bring the owls and other creatures. I look forward to getting the new schedule and seeing what new adventures await us at the library this summer!
-Amber
Today I was shelving in children’s while the Lego Club was going on and there was this little boy looking longingly into the room. I told him that he was welcome to join and he just looked at me with the most awestruck expression and said, “REALLY?! For free?” I told him that, yes, he could go in, and he just got the happiest expression on his face and ran on in. It just made me smile, and think of what an awesome opportunity the Lego Club is.
-Abby
Just a note to say thank you to you and your staff for allowing us to share our yoga class at the Spokane Valley Public Library last Saturday afternoon. We had a wonderful group nearly 20 curious beginners who enjoyed the gentle offering taught by myself. We hope you will keep South Perry in mind for future yoga offerings for the community and/or staff.
-Shawn Brow, Founding Director of South Perry Yoga
I just wanted to stop and jot a note to say thanks for hosting the fantastic hobbit party last summer. My sons thoroughly enjoyed it. They planned and created special costumes to wear: a hobbit and a dwarf. The activities and projects were well thought out and props were fun. We met up with some friends there and enjoyed going from table-to-table creating and socializing about mutual Middle-earth interests. Library staff went above and beyond on this. Much appreciated.
-Sherry
I just wanted to drop a note to let you know how much I enjoy and appreciate the online classes (Ed2Go/Gale). I found out about them when I attended a seminar for writers. And boy, have I taken advantage of free education. I absolutely love the classes. And did I mention FREE? I am on my 4th or 5th course now—The Keys to Effective Copy Editing. No matter which subject I have chosen to study, I have completed the course with a lot more knowledge than when I began. Please continue to offer these valuable courses. I have told all my friends, and I hope they, too, take advantage of each one. Thanks from a card holder.
-Lila
I attended the SCLD board meeting held September 16 here in Medical Lake. I found several things that I appreciated especially: the desire on the part of all to form as many connections with local communities as possible and to partner with community organizations; the openness for suggestions from all present; the way that Nancy explained things very thoroughly and allowed for questions and clarification. I’m grateful to have a library here in Medical Lake that has the friendliness and coziness of a small town and yet the technology and resources of a larger library system–the best of both worlds. Everyone who walks in the door is made to feel welcome and given all the help needed to find resources, use computers, etc.
-Tom
I’ve done a lot of family research since the mid 1990s and never tire of the research. My family is like many American families. My great grandfather left Ireland when he was 11 years of age, in the mid 1850s, and settled in Springfield, Illinois, with his family. After the civil war they moved on to Coffeyville, Kansas where he married my great grandmother in 1876. In 1889, they moved to Carlton, Okanogan County, Washington, where they built a two-story long home that had running water and a flush toilet. They raised horses and sold them much like they now sell cars. After the market fell out of the horse business they turned to raising cattle and mining and did well. My family still lives in the Methow Valley at Twisp, Washington. I now research what I want, but I’m mostly interested in American history and American military history which my family, in their own way, has been a part of.
-Edward
Being a pedestrian, especially in a suburban or rural area, is not always easy or convenient. The sidewalks are not maintained in the winter and walking in the streets in bad weather is always potentially dangerous. Also, since STA removed so many bus stops, riding the bus has become much less convenient. Therefore, once the digital library got off the ground, I became a devoted member. Instead of having to carry armloads or bags full of books several miles, I could just sign in to SCLD and download to my heart’s content. It is such a blessing to be able to go to the library in the rain or snow or heat or at 3 in the morning and never have to leave the house. And the books return themselves! Now you have streaming videos and magazines and music . . . Thank you so much for the many improvements and additional services you have added. I’m just sorry that your lovely new library wasn’t funded. Maybe it will happen in the future.
-Karin
When I was younger, I lived in California. The library was a bit far away for us to go to, and my mother wasn’t all that keen on taking her nine children to pick out books in a place where you’re supposed to be quiet! I remember getting so excited when our neighbor picked out some books for us to read. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to have my own library card!
Once we moved to Washington, that childish dream became a reality as I got my first card. I can’t even begin to tell you how much the library has helped me with my research for my stories. I have read dozens of books on all topics, used many of the digital applications and have enjoyed getting to borrow movies on my favorite topics. Not to mention the sheer amount of information you’ve given us a chance to access- I don’t know of many libraries that carry Clinton Anderson’s Fundamental training DVDS! Not to mention dozens of horse-related books. My horse has benefited from all the materials you possess.
The service is friendly, the librarians helpful and I just love coming here. It’s a treat to be able to visit the library and enjoy such a wonderful atmosphere. Keep up the amazing work, everyone! We all appreciate it!
-Emily
Libraries have always made me feel happy and safe; so much so I am now a proud and passionate librarian. My family and I are about to move to Spokane area and I look forward to falling in love with your libraries.
-Heather
I have had two sets of parents come to Baby Play and Learn for about 4 months now. Both dads are currently students at EWU and moms are domestic engineers. (Fun words for Stay-at-home-mom.) Paisley was just about a year old when she started coming to the Baby Play and Learn and mom, Katelyn, was expecting her second baby. Katelyn and her husband Grant are new to the Cheney area and do not have family close by. Jessica and Charlie also began bringing Carver to Baby Play and Learn around the same time. They introduced themselves during one of our play and learn sessions. Jessica and Katelyn hit it off and so did Charlie and Grant. Katelyn knew her due date was in January and was very nervous about what to do with Paisley. The families started talking more and more. They arranged times to get together and even had meals together. When Katelyn went in to have their newest addition, Lincoln, Jessica, Charlie and Carver were available to help out with Paisley.
I love that we are able to bring our communities that much closer together and create long lasting bonds between people, simply amazing!
-Lori, a Public Services Associate at the Cheney Library
I received my first library card when I was 10 years old at the Gresham, Oregon Public Library in 1946. I read one book that first year. It was about World War I and was written be Ernie Pyle.
Now some 67 years I have just finished my 3,000th book. Most of those books came from the Cheney Library. Thank you all for making it possible.
-Bob
One of my favorite memories! While we kids were growing up outside of Pullman, my dad would load us up & take us to the library there on Saturdays. My sisters & I had our favorite sections/genres/authors so we would split up, load up, & meet up at the check-out desk at the appointed time. I don’t remember the limit back then, but I do remember leaving with a small stack of books & comparing with my sisters. What a fantastic way to travel around & beyond this planet! At that time Albion had a small library, which we visited also. So many years later, I had the opportunity to swing by N.Spokane on the way back from daycare to allow my daughters to ‘load up. That, too, became a near-weekly event. Now they’ve got more activities competing for their attention, but they continue to read. Perhaps one day it will become a priority again, as it did for me. I read avidly up through high school & then the drive tapered off. It kicked back in several years ago & made taking my girls to the library that much more special & necessary!
-Howard
When I was young, I remember being so excited for the bookmobile to come around to our neighborhood. It was so cool that the books came to you. You didn’t have to beg your mom for a ride, you just had to finish your book before that big van came around. The sight was impressive with row after row of books packed on those shelves and the smell of those well-loved stories begging to be taken home. I’ll bet it was a challenging program to maintain, but how cool that I could just walk up the street, board the mobile library, browse around for a bit and walk out with another book. The thrill kept me reading.
-Bryan
My first library was the bookmobile. Remember those? I lived in Yakima, Washington on an apple farm. The bookmobile would come to end of our country lane once a month on Tuesday. I would be anxiously waiting for it to drive up so I could restock my book supply. Around 10:30, it would arrive and I would dash down the lane to see what new discovery I could make in the book world. The librarian, May Benne, who was later my children’s literature instructor at the University of Washington, always had suggestions to match my interests. Of course, I had to peruse every shelf in case there was a wonderful new discovery hiding there. I always checked out the maximum number of books allowed and quickly sailed through them before the month was over. That left me a week or so without books so I was always very eager for the bookmobile to return. Those books opened me to a world far beyond the confines of the farm… an interesting and exciting world.
-Mary
My mother developed a love of reading from her mother. My mother made it a priority to read to me and my five siblings often. We always went to the library every summer and while in school we always checked out as many books as the school allowed. My father was in the Air Force so we moved every two years, but always one of the best ways to feel at home was to check out the library.
Without fail the two books I always looked for were Blueberries for Sal and Little Bear. I love those books. I love the art as well as the humor in the stories. As my children entered my life I also continued to visit the libraries every summer and for so long I continued to get those two books to read to my children. Now my grandchildren have moved to the Medical Lake area (along with their parents of course) and so this past summer I brought them out to the summer reading program and ensured that they too checked out plenty of books. Pretty sure they have been read Little Bear, but not sure about Blueberries for Sal…I will have to remedy that if need be…
-Kari
My husband and I have always been avid library users and when our son was born just over a year ago, we were excited to share our enthusiasm for the library with him. Before he could even sit up on his own, we began taking him to the infant lap sit storytime at the library and he loved it from the beginning. He was fascinated with watching librarian Kris Barnes read the stories and has really developed an appreciation for reading in his short life. At home, we sing some of the little songs that we learned there and they have become part of our routine. Now at 13 months old, our wiggly little boy sits perfectly still for full-length picture books at home and gets excited when we go to the library. We are grateful not only for the wonderful storytime programs and the library staff but also for the large selection of books we can check out to keep us from getting bored! We have recently discovered some new favorites that we would not have gotten to enjoy otherwise as a family on a very limited budget. Thank you SCLD!
-Elisa
You’re never too old to become a “reader”.
My parents are avid readers, but none of their children liked to read. It broke their hearts. My mom tried different genres, making silent reading times, reading aloud (while we did nothing but wrestle and ignore her), etc. My three brothers and I would rather be lost playing outside, than sitting with a book.
I got married in my early 20s. My husband loved to read and came from a family of avid readers. Their home was lined with library shelves, full of books! (Same as my home). He made it his mission to light the fire within me to crave reading. After some convincing, he talked me into reading Harr y Potter. Growing up, I had considered it a badge of honor being one of few on campus NOT to have read Harry Potter. Well, I did it for him. Shocking to me, I was sucked in! I devoured each book and hated the idea of waiting for one to come out (book 5 was still being written). Once book 5 came out, it was the largest book I had ever read (looking back, it was light reading). I was finally hooked.
As I read other series, I became lost in other worlds. When their friends died, it felt as though my friends died. When the heroes were called to stand, I was called to stand. When a character felt lost, I wanted to gently lead them to honesty, answers, and courage.
Now that I have children, we read! I’m discovering all the children stories I missed out on. We’re battling for Narnia, flying to Never Land, and exploring the jungles of India with Mowgli. I’m so grateful my husband didn’t accept, “I hate reading!!!!”… because you’re never too old to fall in love with reading.
-R.
I was 10 years old when we moved to the Spokane Valley in 1955. One of the first things we did was find the Library…just where it is now…and I was so proud when I signed up for and was issued my very own library card!
We lived about a mile away…around 10th and McDonald…and I used to walk all the way to the library each Saturday, check out 12 books (that was the limit back then!) and walk home, with that stack of books tucked under my chin. If I wasn’t in school, I could be found behind the couch, in the basement, or under a tree in the backyard with a smile on my face and a book in my hands.
The following year, my younger sister was old enough to go with me, so off we’d go on Saturday morning, EACH checking out 12 books, and walking the mile back home, struggling to carry all those books! I’d read mine, and then all of hers, and she’d read hers and some of mine, and this pattern continued for most of our lives.
Now we are in our 60’s, and still reading voraciously. Although we prefer a “paper and ink” book, we both have eReaders, and are so thankful for the eBooks available through our public libraries.
My thanks to all those who have kept this wonderful library open these many years…58 that I’ve been using it! It has provided me with many, many hours of pleasurable reading, resources for book reports, essays and theme papers all through school, and wonderful people at the reference desk to answer the most obscure questions!! Bless you all!
-Peggy
One day I was browsing the DVD selection at the north Spokane branch. A librarian was shelving DVDs next to me and we exchanged greetings, and he handed me a movie and said, “Try this one, you will love it.” His suggestion was spot on. “The Cats of Mirikatani” was an excellent recommendation. We loved it!
-Timothy
I’ve used the SCLD for several years now but recently I moved out to Medical Lake and now am just a few blocks away. This library provides the coziness of a small town library and at the same time has access to all of the modern technology of a larger system–the best of both worlds. I’ve been an avid book worm all of my life and it is a wonderful treasure for me to live close to a SCLD facility. I’ve found staff most helpful at all of the SCLD libraries that I’ve visited.
-Tom
TRAILS TO THE LIBRARY(S)
“The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” A. Einstein
Libraries are popping up all over our Little Spokane River community, and we’re not just talking about the North Spokane Library on Hawthorne Rd. But let’s begin with the library we are most likely to have used: the county library, established and supported by citizen tax dollars, had its beginning as a concept in 1938 when voters in Spokane and Pierce counties established “library districts“ the first in Washington State. Five years later, library services were initiated and since there were no buildings, the service operated out of the already established Spokane Public Library. Also in 1943 the first county library director was named: Margaret Grein, and, in 1948, the first district office site was purchased in Browne’s Addition at 1604 W. Riverside (currently the location of Peterson Dental, across the road from Spokane Fire Station No. 4). Library service was to be provided through deposit stations, bookmobiles, and the continuing contract with SPL. The first bookmobile was purchased in 1951. In 1968 the North Spokane County library branch opened at 10503 N. Division St., -the current address of North Spokane Bicycle Shop, just north of Hawthorne on Division. Although the building has been enlarged, it is still the original library structure. In 1972 the library moved to its new site at 44 E. Hawthorne. Computer catalogs replaced card catalogues in 1991, and seven years later in-library public Internet access and dial-in phone access were added services. In 2008 SCLD purchased land for a future library branch at Perry and Hastings Road. Overdue fees were raised for the first time in 14 years in 2011 – still quite a bargain!
Full-sized libraries are not a thing of the past “they remain precious democratizing resources for the communities they serve.” And now little free libraries are showing up everywhere. According to a Seattle Times article, the Northwest and cities, suburbs, towns, and rural communities across the continent and even in countries like Ghana and China, in a single year, – more than two thousand simple, little “gestures of goodwill”™ have been built: Little Free Libraries. They look like a birdhouse on a post and are usually placed in front of somebody’s house. What they contain are free books and are a phenomenon that began in Wisconsin in 2009 by two men, Rick Brooks, 64, and Todd Bol, 56. Their concept has become so popular that they have a hard time listing all the new LFLs on a map on their website www.littlefreelibrary.org.This website has tips, plans for making libraries, kits and even t-shirts. On it one can view a Google map of all the registered LFLs around the world.
Every LFL has different books to choose from “all have been left by others to share with their neighbors” including children’s literature, young adult books, novels, recent magazines, non-fiction books, and newly-released hardback books (but no political or religious tracts).
One of your FLSRV board members is making a LFL to place along near his home along Little Spokane Drive. Another board member, on her daily walk with her best four-legged friend, spotted a little library already in place in the Blackhawk neighborhood. And now there is one installed on Hatch Road. My neighbor, Bob Duft, built a little free library for me. I painted it, gathered books, registered it, and my husband installed it on a large granite boulder that had been placed alongside the FLSRV trail, near the county pool. This LFL’s registration is No. 10,297. It’s on the map! It’s now part of such a cool phenomenon. Come see it – take a book, leave a book. Build your own.
-Tina
“ok so am 11 years old and i love reading i think that reading is the key to a world within a world and that are minds are like a maze and that we have to get to the senter of it and that where are storys are and i think everyone has one some people push there storys away and the storys sit there in the dark and some people run to there storys with open arm and smiles that light up the sky and everyone should read there story.”
-Dinah
