I love libraries. Ever since childhood, they’ve long felt like the safest place on Earth. I could barely see over the counter on that auspicious day decades ago when I officially became a library card holder (I was so small that all the librarians didn’t think I could possibly write my own name, the only prerequisite to gain that key to limitless knowledge. My toddler self happily proved them wrong.) So it seems only fitting that since this week is National Library Week, I should celebrate.
For this year’s event, which runs from April 12th through the 18th, the American Library Association is encouraging people to share the projects they’ve created thanks to the help of the library. As a writer, I’ve researched countless pieces–both fiction and nonfiction–in those hallowed Dewey Decimal aisles. Picking just one is certainly a challenge, but I’ll opt for a recent experience: learning about the Dust Bowl for my historical horror story, “Of Blood and Men.”
When writing historical fiction, no matter how fictional, the devil is truly in the details. While my tale included a vampire coping with the omnipresent darkness of the dust storms, I knew I had to weave in real-life elements about the Dust Bowl if the story was going to work. So I scoured the library shelves for information on the 1920s natural disaster and even requested texts be sent from neighboring libraries (interconnected technology can be our friend). The books I borrowed from the Eva K. Bowlby Library in my hometown featured a wealth of time-period photos and heartbreaking firsthand accounts of how horrific this period of American history truly was.
Ultimately, I completed “Of Blood and Men,” and it went on to be published in History and Horror, Oh My!, an anthology released through Mystery and Horror, LLC. To me, it felt like a profound accomplishment, made all the more gratifying because of the research I was able to do in my own local library. After all, I love a good research montage.
But maybe you’re not a writer. Perhaps you’re a cook or a knitter or a baseball player in a slump looking for inspirational tips. From memoirs that offer guidance to how-to books that lead you step-by-step through a project, everyone has gotten something out of their trips to the bibliotheque.
What creative endeavors have you mastered thanks to what you learned at the library? In honor of National Library Week, share your achievements in the comments below as well as on social media. As Schoolhouse Rock once so sagely said, knowledge is power. Keep that knowledge alive through supporting your local library. Future generations will thank you.
Happy haunting, and happy reading!
First image courtesy of the American Library Association. Second image from personal archive.