National Library Week a Celebration of Joy

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we bring an end to National Library Week, it’s good to know that for the most part books have never been more accessible.

For those of us who cannot imagine life without books, this is nothing short of magic.

With the help of my father, I learned to read before I started kindergarten, and thus a fire was lit that nothing could be extinguished, especially with the flames fanned by librarians. Helen George, the librarian in my small-town library, knew of my love for books and allowed me to help open boxes of new volumes as they arrive, and I still cherish our discussions about favorite stories and books on long summer afternoons. Ethel Allen, my elementary school librarian, not only encouraged my reading, but my writing as well, sending off a short story I wrote in third grade to a national magazine (which published it and sent me a check).

The linger aroma of books and of ink stamp reminders of due dates, are burrowed into my senses. And the stacks of free books I carried home courtesy of my library card filled hours of my childhood with wonder.

Reading books remains a part of my daily ritual, something for which I am grateful. I step out of arguments on the best way to enjoy books – paper, eBook, audiobook - since I find them all enjoyable.

This year’s library week theme, “The Joy of Reading,” rings out like an anthem to readers.

“Reading takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.” —Hazel Rochman

Reading offers a kind of meaningful escape. Books allow us to experience adventures more than our own days allow. We fall in love, face danger, solve mysteries, endure loss, and celebrate triumph—all within the quiet turning of pages. When we return to our own lives, we sometimes bring back a new perspective, a softened judgment, a sharper sense of wonder.

For lovers of books, the stories within become not something you have to finish (too often school assignments sour many students' taste for reading); but something you don’t want to end. That shift changes everything. It transforms reading from a task into a pleasure, from obligation into refuge.

And that refuge still matters, maybe more now than ever.

“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” —Carl Sagan

We live in a busy world that constantly competes for our attention—buzzing, scrolling, refreshing. Reading asks us to slow down. It invites us to sit with a single voice, a single story, for more than a few seconds at a time. There is no satisfying shortcut through a good book, no headline that captures its full meaning. It asks us to stay with it, to trust the path of the story. When we do, we rediscover something rare: the ability to be fully present.

That’s where libraries come in—not just as buildings filled with books, but as gateways to that experience. The Anderson County Library has been a shining example, literally built on a hill, of how this experience can be opened through many doors.

“People can lose their lives in libraries. They ought to be warned.” —Saul Bellow

A library is one of the few places left where joy doesn’t come with a price tag. You can walk in with nothing and leave carrying entire worlds and never spend a dime. There’s a quiet magic in that. Shelves stretch out not as displays, but as invitations—each book a possibility waiting to be opened. Logging in from home to download an eBook or audiobook offers something so much more satisfying than doom scrolling or spending money shopping online out of boredom.

Libraries make the joy of reading accessible. They ensure that discovery isn’t limited to those who can afford it, that curiosity has a place to grow regardless of circumstance, standing as a reminder that stories belong to everyone.

And if you spend any time there, you’ll see it happening in real time. A child sprawled on the floor, completely absorbed in a picture book. A teenager flipping through pages, searching for something that feels like it speaks directly to them. An adult rediscovering the simple pleasure of getting lost in a story after a long day. These are small moments, easy to overlook—but together, they form something powerful.

The joy of reading isn’t just about books, it’s about connection—between people and ideas, between past and present, between who we are and who we might become.

All it takes is a page, a little time, and the willingness to begin.

"A library is a place where you can live a thousand lives. So why are you waiting when you could be living? Visit your library today.” – Stephen King