I'm one of the speakers at the grand opening of the new Milpitas branch of the Santa Clara Library system. This is my local branch and I'm very excited by the new wonderful space. The project used an existing historic building, the Milpitas Grammar school, built in 1916 and added to it, enhancing it while still retaining it's original beauty. A courtyard becomes an indoor reading area with the feeling of being outside. The auditorium features the original proscenium and stage that generations of local residents have performed on. The architect did a good job of blending the old and the new. The city of Milpitas funded the project.
My talk tomorrow will cover my life as a library user. I realized there has never been a time in my life that I didn't have a library book on loan. I've learned so many important things from books, many of them from the library. How to parent. How to write. How to quilt. Libraries have given me knowledge, solace, peers and a home. I'm so grateful.
4 comments:
Terri, Have a great time tomorrow! I think it's so cool that they asked you to do this.
I think, as writers, we sometimes get so caught up in how to sell our books to individuals or how to support our writer friends with purchases that we forget about the libraries. I'm pretty sure that most of us can't support our reading habits by buying everything we want to read. :) Getting books from the library, though, can still support the book world & writers--requests for a book can get libraries to order a few copies, and once that happens--word of mouth starts and gets a book title out to a lot more readers. I've gone to put a hold on some books--like Meg Cabot's!--and seen that I'm something like 65th in line! And that's at one library system.
I wish I could hear your talk, but I'll be busy revising from your critiques instead! :)
Don't forget most libraries honor requests from their patrons, so asking the library to purchase a book from a new author, is a great way to go, too. Mystery sales would be nowhere without libraries.
Kids' books, too! :)
Hi Terri,
I came over here from My Half of the Sky, Jana McBurney-Lin's blog. Congratulations on getting to speak at the Milpitas Library opening. Your books sound really good! They're going on my to-be-read list.
:) Happy Monday.
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