The places you'll go start here for you

I wonder if my Mom really knew that when she introduced me to the local library? The title of this weeks blog comes from one of the first books I ever saw at the library. I will never forget those first Dr Seuss books. Mom must have hoped the library would be an oasis where I could began to learn to understand the world.
In the computer world of today, most kids never visit the library. If they are under the age of five their mothers take them to story hour at the library but once in school they Google if they need to find out something or do any research. They rarely set foot in a library. It's sad that young people feel little connection to their local library. I recall the libraries of my youth as magical places. Getting my first library card was a rite of passage, even bigger than my first drivers license or voter card. I can not recall but I think I got my first library card before the age of 6. I do remember there was a limit to the number of books I could check out at one time and my pile was always more than allowed. The library was all about delayed gratification. It was about browsing the shelves of biographies and geographical locations of the world. Would I pick a book about Mickey Mantle or Australia?
I am sure there are still library loving children but books are not the draw, the kids gravitate to the rows of computer terminals that are in all libraries these days. The kids of today will never experience the library as a place for discovery.
With Mother's Day right around the corner I wish my Mom could read this blog so she would know how grateful I am for all the times she piled me into the car and hauled me to the library. I can almost hear Mom now as she told the librarian "Give that boy a library card, he'll be back on his bike tomorrow for another load of books"