A love of libraries

Have you seen that excellent film Matilda? It's based on a Roald Dahl book which I've never read but the film struck a deep chord with me. The scenes where the child escapes to the library with her little wagon - that was me in the early 80s albeit without the wagon, toodling off to Hendon Library. It was my haven - a way to escape my boisterous brothers. I didn't do sport and TV was rather limited so to amuse myself I read, and read, and read. I'm rather blessed with an awful memory so could read the same book many times but in a library there was no need as there was just so much choice. As a kid I vaguely remembering childrens series about two boys who went into the wild looking for animals as their dad collected them for a zoo. I also found out about my religion and loads of craft things to do. As a teenager the reading escalated and among the authors Herbert, Asimov and Pohl taught me about SF, Chaim Potok helped me see into the world of Hassidic Jews, Mills&Boons a distorted view of romance. I devoured Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins much to my parent's disgust. One of my school friends even worked in the music section for a summer. Later on as a jobless graduate, it became a vital source of information for career hunting - job papers and company information was readily available.
When we moved to Dundee, I joined the library to take tot along to baby rhyme times. Not always successful at making friends but it got us out of the house. In Plumstead, I did the same joining Slade Library's craft club (if it's still going, please join as it's great). So to Larbert and their funky new library. We have been to a few toddler rhyme times and that's been my daugther's first contact with local kids. And she absolutely loves having a library ticket and being able to choose her own book from their extensive collection. The librarians are friendly and very good with kids. The adult books aren't as extensive though I can borrow from any library in Falkirk so that's not a bad thing. I've already happily carried away a crochet book and a Tom Holt novel - not high literary but hey that's not why I love libraries.