The School Library

By Jeff Palmer [PROMPT: LIBRARIES; Written at Central Library, 10/21/2012]

Most of my early memories of libraries are, not unexpectedly, from our school librarythe corner reading pit, the endless rows of books, the big tables. Our teacher would drop us off and leave us with the librarian while she went off to regroup for a while in the teachers lounge. We, however, had entered a transformed world. Instead of textbooks and notepads, stories swirled around us. The promise of adventure, mysteries and characters overwhelmed and enticed us to explore on our terms. When youre eight years old, this kind of freedom during school hours was usually only reserved for recess.