Who else is a fan of their local library?
My teacher-librarian mum was instrumental in giving me and my siblings a love for books (and a love for Mr Darcy – well, not my brother so much, but that’s another story…) We spent many a Saturday morning studying the shelves of my little local library, inhaling the scents of books, enjoying the quiet – heaven forbid if one needed to sneeze!
For my upcoming release, Rebuilding Hearts, I loved including a librarian in my story. Sparrow Island might be the smallest of the (fictional) Independence Islands, but a legacy from a wealthy resident means it hosts its own tiny library, which is where my heroine, bookworm Bella Dwyer, has taken on a new job.
I have to admit being a librarian might well have been one of my dream jobs when I was growing up. Who doesn’t love the idea of being surrounded by books all day? Many a Saturday was spent visiting my local library, checking out books filled with adventure, mystery, romance, and real life stories, allowing this girl to dream big dreams and imagine worlds far different to what I experienced in small-town Australia. And to be one of those people who knew so much about all kinds of books, and could steer people to the dim corners where magic awaited within the pages seemed quite wonderful.
Of course, now I write books, I’m even more invested in helping people gain a greater love for the written word, and to explore the worlds trapped within black and white type. So it made it extra fun to imagine what might be involved for Bella as she takes on this role in Rebuilding Hearts. Part of her job involves engaging children through story-time, which soon leads to another job opportunity. I’ve always appreciated those who can bring a story to life through special voices and dramatic expression – too often I seem to stumble over my words!
It’s a gift to be able to connect with people, to assess what kinds of books they might appreciate, and then to remember what books might work as a recommendation. I think to work in a library means being a person of patience, as some people use libraries as one of their chief means for social interaction, so it’s not always about the books.
I think we can often underestimate the importance of libraries in many people’s lives. This proves especially true for those who don’t have a lot of spare cash to splash (who of us do?), and libraries serve that important conduit where readers can be blessed by books they don’t have to pay for (unless they get returned late and there’s a fine). What some people don’t realize is that libraries can also be ways in which readers can bless authors, through asking libraries to purchase their favorite authors’ books, and then borrowing their books. Many library systems around the world will pay a small sum for each time a book is borrowed, thus ensuring authors get a tiny percentage of the royalty they might otherwise receive when a book is bought outright. So if enough books are borrowed, over time this adds up and can make a nice contribution to the author who has spent months crafting that book you finished in a few days.
Libraries are great places to visit, and bless us in many ways, which proved fun to showcase in Rebuilding Hearts. Happy reading!
Here’s a bit more about Rebuilding Hearts:
Who knew a bank robbery could show a girl that good guys still exist?
Bookworm Bella Dwyer just wants to feel safe, especially after she’s saved by a mysterious stranger during a bank robbery who made her believe there might be guys who live up to her fictional heroes. But when he proves impossible to find, she settles for a relationship with a commitment-phobic man instead.
When Bella is offered a job on tiny Sparrow Island, she encounters Tim Franklin, the quiet budding landscape architect with Hemsworthy arms, who soon gets her wondering whether there really can be a future with a man who can’t commit.
In a leap of faith, Bella dumps her boyfriend, even before shy-guy Tim can make a move. But in wanting to live by faith and conquer fear, has she made the right choice, or are her hopes for freedom and a future destined to fail? Grab your copy here.
So let’s chat:
Are you a library fan? Have you found books and authors you now love because of a visit to a library? Have you ever requested your library to stock a book from a favourite author? Do you work in a library / wish you could?
Its good that Australia has the library scheme where you get a little back when people borrow books as I remember American’s mentioning they don’t have this scheme.
I use to go to the library but it was more to use the computers. I did borrow some books but more children’s books. We didn’t have a lot of Christian fiction but was able to donate quite a lot of book which they really appreciated. Now the libraries are more connected if a book is in the system we can get here in my town. The problem with smaller towns they have a budget of what to spend of books etc.
Growing up we had a town library which was private and you had to pay a yearly membership. It was an expense we couldn’t afford or justify as we could get most things in the school libraries. The town Library opened while I was in High School and i know I went at times. It was after I left school I went more. I know I borrowed several Agatha Christie books.
Oh, Agatha Christie books were always popular ones to borrow, especially when you could find those lesser known titles. I’m very grateful for the tiny royalties we can earn thanks to public and school libraries. It’s interesting to see how libraries have evolved over time!
I love my library! It has a huge selection of Christian fiction and is open to suggested purchases, ebook or physical copies. It is so much fun to go there, and it’s close to my son’s school so I can pop over easily.
Oh, that’s awesome! Whereabouts is your library located? I haven’t heard of too many libraries in Australia having dedicated Christian fiction sections.