Lifelong love of reading

My love of libraries and reading started in my little hometown, where we had a public library I could walk to (and borrow a stack of hardcover Nancy Drew books practically taller than I was). Each summer, there was a children’s reading club with stickers, bookmarks, trivia questions, and a fun theme.

When I moved to Ottawa for university, there were a few years where I mostly used the uOttawa library and read my many English Literature books for my degree. But I still got a city library card and would occasionally borrow books. I think it was around 2018 or 2019 that I learned about Overdrive (now Libby), where I could borrow ebooks and audiobooks. This was transformational for me, as I was reading fewer paper books these days, and didn’t have to worry about getting to the library or returning the books. And the ability to borrow from other libraries as well to make the collection even larger was amazing!

Over the last few years, the collection of 2SLGBTQIA+ novels (and especially romances—my fave!) has really increased, and I think this is amazing. I love how accessible it makes this content for everyone. I’ve also been able to enjoy meeting at the main branch (and a couple other branches) of the library most Novembers to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) further supporting the writing, reading, and creative community.

Thank you for supporting literacy, creativity, and accessibility!