Why I Love the Library Contest Results
First Place: George Clever
What is a library? The American Heritage Dictionary defines a library as a place in which literary and artistic materials, such as books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, prints, records, and tapes, are kept for reading, reference, or lending. The description sounds rather stuffy and boring doesn’t it?
The Sinclairville Library is so much more than a place to collect and loan written materials. It is a meeting place, a community center, a learning place and a people place. This library exists through the hard work and vision of all who support the library as paid employees and volunteers. These people and the library manager make it a safe, visually attractive, and comfortable environment for all who enter its doors.
I love this library because it is not the sterile hushed place stereotypically most libraries bring to mind. These is a pulse of interest and excitement one senses here. The Sinclairville Library values conversation and communication along with the quiet peace of reading, studying, searching the book stacks, and web browsing on available computers.
It is a library to love because of its diverse contributions to the community through art displays, educational support and encouragement of local writing talent. A good library needs leadership to identify literary interests and needs of a rapidly changing community. Once this is done, the challenge is to provide resources and design programs to meet these needs at a time of diminishing revenues. The Sinclairville Library has a manager who consistently surpasses these goals.
Why do I love the Sinclairville Library? Simply, I love it because it is user friendly.
Second Place: Danielle Raymond
It’s somewhat difficult for me to put into fully formed, intelligible sentences what I love about the Sinclairville Free Library. There is the obvious reason — it’s full of books. And books have been dear and true friends to me my whole life long, during times when I had none. I also think, as an English major, that I’m obligated to say that I love them. But I digress.
The main reason I love our library is because I belong there. Never have I walked into a building and felt so immediately welcomed; never have I met so many wonderful and friendly people as I have there. I have never once felt judged for being different, or maybe a little odd — but rather accepted for who I was, and even appreciated for it. I have found and befriended some of the best people I know through the library. There are few other places on this Earth where I have ever felt more at home.
From the library and its patrons, I have received nothing but praise. They give me kindness, compassion, and positive reinforcement — especially its magnificent, amazing, hard-working, die-hard librarians. Without them, I don’t think the library would be the same. And what it is now — to me, anyway — despite all of us being different people, with different last names, skin colors, and ideals, is a family.
And if I had to be stranded somewhere in the world for an undetermined amount of time — well, I have always joked that if I became homeless after college I would start living on the couch in the library.
Honestly — I can think of few other places I’d rather be.
Children’s Category Winner: Hayley Clark, Age 8
Why I Love the Library
First there are a lot of adventures in each book.
Second they have computers to help find books and play games.
I can hang out with my friends and get movies.
I am always happy at the library because the Librarians are very nice. They always greet you and remember your name. When I have a project to do I go there to look. It always feels like the books are popping out at you in 3-D. At the library you get your very own library card. In the Summer Reading program you get to read and learn as a group and meet new friends!!! When I was 3 I would go there in a wagon with my Grandma for Story Hour. That is why I love the library.