The day I discovered a public library and free books

I’ve been a huge fan of public libraries since my early teenage years and, since moving to Ottawa in 1979, the Ottawa Public Library has been one of my favourite places in town. My children’s fantasy trilogy, among others, can be found on their shelves and I’ve promoted the library to children when reading to them at their schools. Allow me to share with you an excerpt from my post-WWII childhood memoir “I Stood Among The Ruins And Cried” which is set in Germany. Emmi, in the excerpt, was my elementary school teacher. She lived around the corner from my family and I tended to visit her on a regular basis. (Note: we called her Emmi behind her back).

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I shall never forget the day Emmi introduced me to books.

Emmi opened the door when once again I had rung the bell to their apartment. She was wearing her fake leopard fur coat, a coat I coveted and wanted to own when I was grown up because I considered it very chic.

“I’m just about to go out,” Emmi said. “To the public library.”

“Public library?”

Emmi correctly interpreted my puzzled expression: I did not know the meaning of ‘public library’ ― Stadtbibliothek.

“Are you telling me you’ve never been to the public library?” she asked.

“No.”

“Come with me. The library is just up the street, two blocks from here.”

Off I went with Emmi, looking forward to the adventure.

The moment we entered the library, my jaw dropped. The room beyond the doorstep was vast. Every wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves that held rows upon rows of books. I had never seen so many books in my life. I didn’t even know that so many books existed in our town.

A lady of Grandma’s age stood at a desk near the entrance and greeted Emmi like a close friend.

“I see you’ve brought a young reader along,” she said.

“Ingrid is a student in my class,” Emmi responded. “She doesn’t have a library card. Can I sign for her? She’s a responsible girl and will treat books well.”

And, thus, with the stroke of Emmi’s pen, I became a member of the public library and one of its most loyal customers. I would have eventually discovered my passion for books. To this day, I’m an avid reader and treat books with admiration and respect. However, had it not been for Emmi, I might have missed out on many years of reading and for that, I’m more grateful to her than her lessons in grammar, English, and geography.

“Dear,” the lady at the desk said one day as she looked at the title of the book that I was about to borrow. “I think you are a bit too young for this story. You should look in the children’s section.”

“I’ve read every book in the children’s section,” I replied, feeling a little miffed that she considered me a child.

“Well,” she continued, gesturing at a row of books nearby, “then you should move on to the books for young adults.”

“I’ve read all of those books, too.”

“You have?” The lady’s voice was a mix of doubt and surprise. She peered at me over the rim of her glasses as if testing my sincerity. I did not bat an eye. A moment later, her stamp came down heavily on the lending card, and I walked out of the library with Gone With the Wind under my arm.

I was thirteen years old.

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And, yes, you will find my memoir on the OPL shelves as well.