I absolutely love visiting my local Library. The Staff have won awards for the incredible book exhibitions, collections, layout, efficiency and courtesy of the service they offer. Their patience is limitless, and educational opportunities for others their goal. I had been on a visit to the Library and was talking to the Librarian behind the counter to whom I had addressed an enquiry. As she gave me a gentle smile and went the extra mile to get a book I needed, I looked over to the Children's Section. I had a flashback, and for a moment I was back in Welkom as a small child. Mom in one of her many careers was a librarian, and she announced one day, 'I'm going to give you the best present I can ever give you. I'm going to give you a home for life. Wherever you are in the world in the future, you will never be lonely. You'll always have friends.' Mom bundled my little brother into his coat and boots, me into mine, and off we went. We entered the local Library in Welkom and I walked into Paradise. Being so tiny, the high ceilings of the beautiful Library towered over me. There was a hush of calm and air of mystery with signs around the place which I later realised encouraged us to 'Please respect the silence - others are studying'.
They were rows upon rows of books, beautiful and in tall stacks. They seemed to beckon to me, inviting me to open the pages. Mom enrolled us into the Library, and I was courteously asked questions and explained how the Library works. Then I was taken to the Chldren's Section (you only graduated to the 'Grownups' Literature Section at an appropriate age and after consultation with your parents) and was left to open books with a reverent finger. There were regular Public Readings of books for children, and Mom faithfully used to bring my brother and myself to listen to the lady who wore different hats and clothes at different times to suit the content of the book she was reading from. I used to sit and hold the hand of my little brother whom I adored, and we would listen to the wonders of the storytelling. It was all Very Exciting.
Things went from good to better. In the mining town many of the immigrants who worked there lived from one hard worked for pay check to the next. Education for their children was the great goal of most of the parents who laboured so hard every day, and sometimes at jobs at night. The Library began competitions for essays, and the prize was a book for different categories. I seem to recall that a suspicious number of us won prizes, in fact every child who submitted an essay one year (I must have been about ten years old then) received a book.
Well, to get to the point, the first year aged six I submitted my essay and won
'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' written and illustrated by the immortal
Beatrix Potter. I revelled in the little blue jacket, the dear buttons on the rabbit's coat; was horrified at his disobedience to his dear Mama in going to the gardener's garden, and wanted to weep with him at the tragedies that befell him there. In short, I adored the book. I then graduated on to other Beatrix Potter books, and used to lie for hours inbetween chores reading about Jemima Puddleduck, the wily fox, Jeremy Fisher the frog and Squirrel Nutkin. The comfortingly sturdy build of the washer hedgehog Mrs. Tiggy-winkle became a firm favourite of mine as she starched and washed her way through the laundry.
At age ten I won the grand prize. It was an unbelievably beautiful book of illustrated stories of ballet. I breathlessly read
Swan Lake, danced with the beautiful Odette and became annoyed at the duplicity of Odile.
Copellia had paintings of the most beautiful traditional costumes, and I loved poring over the illustrations and seeing the ribbons and multicolours of the large skirts and bodice tops.
In later years, the Library became a second home when I went through the staggering homesickness of settling in a new country when I left South Africa. The gentle Irish Librarians went out of their way to make me feel welcome and at home, and whenever I felt lonely I would pop around to the local Library for a read and a small chat with the Librarians. Now of course I am completely at home in Ireland, and can happily go between South Africa and Ireland, at ease in each. However, the local Library is still second home. A few years ago the Charity received a number of requests for English teachers in villages and squatter camp areas. I had no resources for an English principal for Lumiere English Academy, the English educational branch of the Charity, so decided to train as an English teacher myself. I began the lessons, and my local Library spent two years sourcing books from all over Ireland to help me complete the study. Nothing was too much trouble. The Librarians also helped me with my computer skills which had been sketchy at best.
Last year members of the Librarians were touched by the story of the children Lumiere Charity reaches out to. The Librarians donated boxes of books for disadvantaged children, supporting Lumiere's project which is very dear to us; beginning and supporting libraries in disadvantaged areas, for orphans and street children. Those books found their way into a number of our projects in Asia and Africa, and were rapturously received by principals, social workers and children finding their way around the written and spoken English word. Books in other local languages have also been given by Lumiere over the years. Benefactors have given computers, and we have donated lessons on CD and CD Rom (there are great painting lessons, and classes of different kinds in the shops). A number of small libraries have thus sprung up. But they are not enough.
In the spirit of Lumiere, and in the spirit of all generous Librarians everywhere, why not choose a disadvantaged village/ squatter camp/ orphanage/ childrens' shelter/ hospital for children/ and begin a Library there. Local municipalities and places of worship are often most supportive in new facilites being made available. Coffee mornings and fundraisers pay for books and postage/shipping. Books can be purchased from church fetes, secondhand bookstores or your local Charity shop and sent to the Library you support. You thus have the blessing of supporting your local place of worship, Charity shops and local book businesses, and the happiness of helping disadvantaged towards education and a better future. If you have the great gift of being an English teacher, why not donate some of your time as a volunteer to one of the many projects needing an English teacher to teach the disadvantaged? Another possibility is to volunteer your services at your local Library as a reader at Childrens' Storytime.
Wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful if there were a Library, a second home, in every disadvantaged area in the world? Education is the way to a better future - what better way than to support the services of our Librarians, the unsung heros and heroines of many a child's world...
*A website celebrating the 110th Birthday of Peter Rabbit is
http://www.peterrabbit.com/us/
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Information about Librarians
http://www.library.ie/jobs-careers/career-information/
