Libraries – how do I love thee?
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On Friday 14th February many lovers around the world celebrated Valentine’s Day, while some of us celebrated Singles Awareness Day. And in Australia, avid readers and writers alike wrapped their arms around libraries and librarians to celebrate Library Lovers Day. Anywhere you looked, you could find love in some shape or form…. even in a book.
One of the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had was celebrating Library Lovers Day at my local library back in Sydney – the Bowen Library in Maroubra Junction, in 2012 ( I wrote about it here). It was also the launch of the National Year of Reading, of which I was an ambassador. I recall a guest that day brought me a plant and some chocolates, we had a massive heart-shaped cake and I felt like I had about 80 Valentine’s. I’m sure I’ve not had a Valentine since!
Last Friday, the title of Best Valentine’s Day’ event was seriously challenged when I made my first visit to the Redland City Council Library Cleveland. I was met be a beautiful welcoming committee -thanks Kim and Toby – you’re the best, 50 local readers and library loves, and some gorgeous cupcakes with cute hearts (how I only ate two I’m not sure!).
As part of my visit, I shared with the audience why I love libraries. I spoke about some my novels – the libraries I wrote them in, and the libraries that appear in them. I also talked about the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and why I think the library is sexier than the locker room (should I post my notes on that debate???), and I wanted to share some that with you here… again!
Why I love libraries
I have written many blogs about my love libraries and librarians, including the following…
Happiness is visiting QLD Libraries Day 1
Happiness is visiting QLD Libraries Day 2
Cherbourg: A centre for Indigenous Knowledge
Happiness is sharing my knowledge with Librarians
Happiness is visiting the Boston Public Library
Gratefulness – the State Library of QLD
I love libraries. I know that’s not an extraordinary thing to say as an author– of course authors love libraries; they’re a keeping place for our books, librarians spruik our work to their communities, libraries are venues for us to meet our readers. But libraries are modern day sacred sites to me – I feel at peace in libraries, I feel at home, I feel cocooned by the words of writers who want to change the world through literature, just like I do. I think libraries should be respected, valued and acknowledged more for the cultural institutions they are and what they provide to community members.
[image error]And of course, I love libraries because they are places where I go to write.
I wrote Not Meeting Mr Right and Avoiding Mr Right in my local, the Bowen Library, Maroubra. I remember thinking at the time how much libraries had changed from the quiet place they once were, to one of energy and sharing – students doing projects together, people being tutored in languages I didn’t understand, kids having story time with toys to be borrowed.
To be honest, I didn’t really appreciate the new noisier space when I was trying to write the great Australian novel. I actually complained once or twice until I found I could book a quiet room for two hours at a time, and I could even take a coffee and some raisin toast in with me. People could eat in libraries – what next? I thought.
I loved working in that space. There were days when I had tears rolling down my cheeks laughing at my own jokes on the page about Peta Tully who would astral travel of a night having sexual encounters in her sleep along the way, while filling the important role of DG of DOMSARIA of a day time. DOMSARIA was the Dept of Media, Sports, Arts, Refugees and Indigenous Affairs. I wonder what people thought looking into the fish bowl as I entertained myself. Or if they even noticed me at all.
I worked on the edits of my novel Tiddas in the writer’s room inside the QWC at the State Library of QLD. I sat in kuril dhagun Indigenous Knowledge Centre and wrote thousands of words for my novel Our Race for Reconciliation. And I spent a lot of time going through microfiche and writing notes in Cowra library for Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms. I then took that research and wrote 20,000 words in libraries (and cafes) in Barcelona – as you do.
I was role modelling in a remote community many years ago and of a night we would all sit around and talk – there was no phone or internet coverage. We went around the group and said what we wanted to be in our next lives. I said a librarian. Because all the librarians I’d ever met were happy! It was only a few weeks after a conference with teacher librarians that I left academia. And although I’m not a librarian, I do a lot of library talks, and I am happier. 
