A Tale of Four Libraries
Did you ever think about what things made significant differences in your life as you were growing up?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell for sure, but it usually involves special people, and things that they did.
When I think back on my early years, there are a lot of things I could mention, but recently I thought about four libraries that I think were really important to me.
And so, to stimulate your thinking about early influences on your life, I tell the following “Tale of Four Libraries.”
My One-Room School Library
As you entered the main schoolroom of Prairie View School, the one room school I attended for 8 years…
Prairie View School – having evolved from bright white to worn and faded gray.
…you could look to the left and see a bookcase sort of like this, which was our Prairie View School library:
Mrs. Wene, my 3rd and 4th grade teacher, didn’t seem to want to force library books on us. In fact, she almost underplayed the library.
Students in our school when I was in the 3rd grade, and Mrs Wene.
It was as if she wanted to portray the books in the library as kind of a mystery, which you could take or leave, but you might not want to miss it.
I read Hoot Owl, a book she “just happened to mention,” probably 25 times. And later, I read another book she “tried to keep secret,” Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, more times than I care to admit.
Mrs. Wene had a way of making that that library come alive, leaving her students with the puzzled feeling of, “I’m reading this book! What just happened to me?”
The Weldon Public Library
One evening when I was in the 5th grade, a friend and I were walking around the square in Weldon, Illinois — a tradition on Wednesday nights in the summer.
Suddenly, I felt the firm hand of Birdie Boaz (rhymes with “hose”) on my shoulder.
Birdy, a thin, alert woman with glasses, was a librarian at the Weldon Public Library.
The Weldon Public Library, in its final stage.
“Young man,” she said in a pleasant manner, “Would you stop by the library before you go home. I have some very interesting books that I think you would like to read.”
She smiled and seemed sincere, and to my surprise, I took her up on her offer.
For the next two or three years, I went to the library almost every week to check out some books recommended by Birdie (authors Jack London, Zane Grey, and others) and made reading more a part of my life.
Birdie didn’t have to come up to the square that night to find me and invite me to the library.
But I’m happy she took the initiative. It made a difference in my life.
Our Farmhouse Attic Library
Upstairs in the farmhouse I lived in for 15 years, there were three shelves of books along the side of the staircase that looked somewhat like these:
My mother, Ruby Gray Odaffer, got some of these books from her brother, Bill, after he had finished reading them.
Having no extra money, I’m sure she must have gotten the others, book by book, from friends having a farm sale, or wherever she could find them cheap or free.
But get them she did, and we had a library!
There was Anne: Princess of Everything, A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Letter, Little Women, several Tarzan books, a large number of Horatio Alger books (including the Erie Train Boy), a complete series of cowboy books, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, Robinson Crusoe, and many more.
From 6th grade on, I spent a lot of time reading these books.
I was particularly interested in the Horatio Alger books, and later felt they helped me develop a set of values that defined my life.
My mother, a very busy and very poor farmer’s wife, took the time to make sure there was a quality little library in our attic. How lucky can a kid get?
Milner Library At Illinois State University
In order to have enough money to go to Illinois State University, I had to work at a couple of jobs. One was a job at Milner Library, which paid $.75 per hour.
Milner Library, Illinois State Normal Teachers College, 1951.
Gertrude Plotnicky, one of the directing librarians, took me under her wing, and soon had me restacking books that had been checked out and returned.
And every once in a while, Gertrude would pick up a book from my restack cart, and say, with a twinkle in her eye, “Here’s one I recommend.” She sort of encouraged me to take a little time to look at the books I was restacking.
She had an uncanny way of picking books that would interest a young college student and was instrumental in keeping me reading.
Even though it has nothing to do with Gertrude Plotnicky, I would be remiss not to mention another perk I received from Milner Library.
It is fair to say that my only sources of sex education as a youngster was what I observed on the farm, and what I found out when all the boys at Prairie View school congregated near the outdoor boys toilet to get the word from the 8th graders.
Thank heavens for the opportunity to skim an occasional sex education book from my Milner Library restack cart, and set things straight!
What’s The Take-Away From This Tale?
I think people are generally not totally aware of the influence they have on certain others. And it’s often the small things that make a difference.
In this tale, we have the four ordinary people pictured below, who were, to all outward appearances, just doing their job.
But they gave just a little bit extra that made all the difference.
Hazel Wene taught at a one room school and used her uncanny ability to get children interested in reading.
Birdie Boaz was a librarian in a small public library, who went out of her way to encourage a young man to check out some books.
Ruby Odaffer was a busy mother who acted on her belief that having a quality little library in her farmhouse attic might be good for her kids.
Gertrude Plotnicky was a librarian at a university library who took a special interest in encouraging student workers to read.
Good for these people! And from someone who benefited greatly from their efforts, many thanks!