It’s 2012
so most people we know are rocking Kindles and Nook, reading 800-page tomes on
a convenient, but cold, little computer screen. Not only do we still prefer to
hold a good old-fashioned print version of a book in our hands, we’re even more
nostalgic than that. We actually get our novels and non-fiction from the local
library.
This
practice seems to shock a lot of people. But not only does it save us money, it
brings us back to our childhoods. At least once a week after our mother picked
us up at school, we’d go a few blocks down the street to the Braintree Public
Library and dive deep into the kids’ section in the basement. There we’d
submerge ourselves in everything we could get our hands on — from Dr. Seuss
to Judy Blume.
So we were touched
when we saw the M.N. Spear Memorial Library in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, viral
video asking for support in their effort to raise $1.4 million for a new
building, which the Mass. government will match with $2.1 mill in additional
funding if they meet their goal by June 30.
As their
YouTube short explains (via readable signs to boot) their current location has
no running water, limited space and a grated floor that melts patrons’ shoes.
In addition to their fundraiser, they’ve taken to Tumblr with the “Where Would
You Be Without Your Library” campaign.
One Tumblr
fan professed, “Libraries and apple pie is what makes America great!”
Fellow
librofile Frances posted this message:
“With my library, I have been to Panem, Terabithia, the Bastille, Chinese factories, Ypres, Narnia, Avalon, Green Gables (and Avonlea & Ingleside!) A little town on the prairie, and 20,000 leagues under the sea. Without my library, I’d be nowhere.”
In addition
to pushing the paper publications, the Spear Memorial has actually dipped a toe
into the waters of the modern age. They’re one of several small institutions
who have partnered with the Library eBook Accessibility Program (LEAP), who
allow patrons to download eBooks for a $25 one-time set up fee and a $50 annual
fee. Of course, students can join for free.
To find out
more about the M.N. Spear fundraiser or donate visit www.mnspear.org.
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