Fill the Shelves

     I was born in Riffe Washington, a town so small and lovely that it didn't survive the 1960s. Riffe didn't have a library, of course, but that didn't mean that I didn't have access to free books. Once a month (or maybe that's just how often my mom was willing to take me) the Timberland Bookmobile came, delivering Dr. Seuss, picture books with dinosaurs and my first chapter books.
     Once I started school, I had access to the library at Mossyrock Elementary, which seemed like an embarrassment of riches to my wide eyes. In third grade, I discovered Jim Kjelgaard stories like Big Red, Desert Dog, and Snow Dog , tales of incalculable danger and adventure that became my first reading obsessions. 
     Those books gave way to Jack London, endless sports stories, and eventually a science fiction addiction that became life-long.  I honestly don't know what I would have done without having a library there to foster my early love of reading. Watch more television, I guess. 
     The reason I'm writing about this today is that there are libraries whose shelves are almost as bare as the picture I posted above. In these difficult economic times, funding to the arts and things like library books are often the first things to fall by the wayside. And today, we can do something about it.
     There is an organization called Fill the Shelves (FilltheShelves.org) that connects people with libraries that desperately need books. Although it just started in the last week, they've already had incredible success, filling an elementary school library in Jonesboro Louisiana with 221 books.  Here's an excerpt from the librarian there: 
     Southside Elementary School was bombarded with boxes and boxes of fabulous books today. Our students were very excited and could not contain themselves as I opened boxes and showed them each book. The ‘oohs and aahs’ were heard all around as excitement filled the air. One student wanted to know if it was my birthday. LOL! I then explained how wonderful people across the nation had so much faith in them they wanted to make sure they had plenty of great books to read! I read the notes that came from the gifters and with eyes wide, the students would repeat the state the sender was from in awe. They couldn’t believe this many people cared enough to bless them with so many books... 

     There are two ways you can help if you want. If you click on the link I posted above to FilltheShelves.org, you will see libraries there that have posted "wish lists" of books they would like to be able to offer their students. You can click on any of those books and you'll be taken to Amazon, where it will be very easy for you to send whatever book you choose winging its way to a library that needs it.
     Also, if you know of a library in need of books, please contact me with that information, and I will connect that librarian with Fill the Shelves.
     I've chosen to do something good for the world each time I reach various milestones with my writing. Today, my Facebook Writer Page  reached 300 "Likes" and that seems like a good milestone to celebrate, so I sent a copy of We the Children by Andrew Clements to the Downsville Charter School. Thank you to everyone who has helped spread the word about this blog and my facebook page. 
     If you'd like to give to a library closer to home, then lets find and identify some libraries in Washington that need the help and connect them with Fill the Shelves!