It's no secret that we love librarians, libraries, and all the books that call the library home. We wanted to give librarians, authors, and patrons a chance to tell the world how much they love their local library during National Library Week.
To start things off, we're so excited to share a video message to librarians from Julia Quinn, bestselling author of the Bridgerton series!
Some information on National Library Week:
- National Library Week takes place this year from April 4-10.
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The theme for National Library Week this year is “Welcome to Your Library.” The theme promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building—and that everyone is welcome to use their services.
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Natalie Portman is the 2021 National Library Week Honorary Chair.
- Tuesday, April 6 is National Library Workers Day, Wednesday, April 7 is National LIbrary Outreach Day, and Thursday, April 8 is Take Action for Libraries Day.
Find out more about how to celebrate or different ways to get involved on the American Library Association website here.
How LLF is Celebrating National Library Week:
During the week, we will be featuring authors' thoughts on what libraries mean to them. We kicked off this #librarylove on our Door to Door episode on Tuesday, April 6th with Laura Lippman, author of Dream Girl, and Kate White, author of The Fiancée—both daughters of librarians!
This is Laura Lippman's quote about libraries: "So, yes, the pandemic sucks. But a bright light in our lives is that the Baltimore city branches of the Enoch Pratt are open—and my branch is literally four blocks from where I live. My daughter, who is almost 11, and is desirous of independence, can walk there and back. Her face when she comes through the door shines with happiness and reminds me of myself at the same age, how excited I was for our weekly trips to the library."
Watch the replay on Facebook or YouTube.
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We continued reading the authors' statements (and heard audio clips!) on our podcast that was posted on Wednesday, April 7th. We heard from authors: Laura Lippman, Rumaan Alam, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, Sarah McCoy, Andrew J. Graff, Mia Mercado, Morgan Jerkins, Lori Rader-Day, Sarah MacLean, Catherine Coulter, Gail Tsukiyama, Jacqueline Winspear, emily danforth, Rebekah Taussig, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Kimberly McCreight, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Wiley Cash, and Wanda M. Morris.
Listen to the episode on our SoundCloud feed:
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Lastly, we would like to continue to invite librarians and patrons alike to leave a comment on our interactive message board, answering the prompt "I love my library because…" and we'll feature the messages throughout the week. Leave a message/gif/photo here.
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Check back for more information and updates! We are so excited to share the wonderful sentiments about libraries and we thank you for all the hard work you do to uplift authors, promote free information, and rise up to serve your community in dark times. Thank you.
-LLF