A public letter of praise from me to the staff of the Peachtree City Public Library is long overdue.
Since our daughter was about 3, our family has taken her to the library. Now, at age 5, when she hears that we are going to the library, her excitement level rates about the same as if we said we were taking her out for yogurt at TCBY.
The staff has worked hard to create a kid-friendly environment, stock the shelves with nourishing, fun brain food, and consistently been just as friendly as can be to me and my little learner during our visits.
I have a photo of my daughter (she was 3, I think) seated in a tiny library chair gazing with love struck eyes at the stuffed Clifford the Big Red Dog seated across from her which was, at the time, as big as she was.
I approach Miss Susan, in the children’s section, with the area of interest for my daughter. “She really likes dogs, and so I’m taking the opportunity to help her learn as much as she can about …”
Smiling, Susan finishes my sentence with the Dewey Decimal numerical range for the exact area my kid will love. I get home just before bedtime, and my child wants to stay up late to see what I brought her from the library.
And when I think about rearing my daughter to enjoy learning, it occurs to me that since I moved to Georgia, the Peachtree City library has been there for me both day-to-day, and at life’s crucial junctures. For example:
When I was still finishing my master’s in political “science,” M.T. Allen was there with a willingness to discuss the possibility of adding Congressional Quarterly to the collection.
Before I went for my job interview with my current employer, about 17 years ago, I checked out a book on the firm’s history so I could learn about its organization, culture, and stories. I studied articles from the industry press available on CD-ROM, in the pre-web browser era. I walked into my interview with confidence, and by God’s grace, got the job offer.
When I was out from work sick for several days, although my body was tired and hurting, my mind could still escape and grow smarter from the Tom Clancy novels and the non-fiction works on investing I read between naps.
When God brought the woman who would become my wife into my life, I wanted to get a quality engagement ring for her, and still have the max amount of money for a downpayment on a home one day. What’s a guy to do?
How about visit the library for a book on how to buy wedding rings? Better to learn color, cut, clarity, and carat from it than from a slick salesman seeking to maximize his commission.
And, when it came time to buy that house, it was “Home Buying for Dummies” in both print and audio form (for the commute) as well as Gerri Willis’ “Home Rich.”
When my wife became interested in the sociology of the Amish, Rebecca Watts was able to find an obscure title in the field from an academic library in another state through inter-library loan.
Back to my employer. I had a chance to work in the department which licenses intellectual property (video and photos) for our use. Great chance to learn something new and advance my career. Only problem was, I knew next to nothing about licensing intellectual property.
Once again, Ms. Watts came to the rescue. I actually called the library from work. Ms. Watts was on the case.
I could go on and on, but the longer I go, the less likely The Citizen will print this note, and the less likely YOU are to read it. So, for the record, I am a fan of Librarian Jill Prouty and her staff at the Peachtree City Library.
With gratitude,
Eric Ferrell and family
Sharpsburg, Ga.
