Why The Library Saved My Life

This is a repost of a letter written to the Urban Librarian, Screwy Decimal. It really hit home and shows that libraries, to so many people, are so much More Than Just Books.

"So there was this time in my life, where I needed a place to go because I didn't like to go home, that was the library. Now let me tell you something; being a teenager sucks. The transition between a 'child' to a 'teenager' sucks. Not being able to find matching socks in the morning sucks. Every little thing will set you off; you're a little ball of pressurized energy that will explode when air touches it. It's not that I had problems at home or in school, it's that those places didn't feel like home. They still don't feel like home. Hell, even church doesn't feel like home, but that’s another story. Library is home to me, it treated me like I was its child, and I know that sounds like a really weird analogy but hear me out. There were nice people who didn't judge me for receiving a 70% in seventh grade honors math. There were programs such as Teen Time, arts'n'crafts, games, and RIF that occupied my time. It was a quiet space (most of the time) where I could do projects, attempt to study, print out my homework assignments because my computer at home was broken. It was warm when it was too cold outside for a walk, it was refreshingly cool when it was icky and humid outside. And of course, an endless amount of books to read when I wanted to get lost in fantasy and not face the reality of my life.
-Quoted from Screwy Decimal