2020-04-01 Real Simple

THE OFFERINGS GO WELL BEYOND BOOKS

(THOUGH THOSE SURE ARE NICE!).

By Carla Bruce-Eddings

15 Efforts That Make

Most Libraries Even

Cooler Than You Knew

SOME OF MY MOST enduring

and cherished childhood memo-

ries revolve around the John F.

Kennedy Memorial Library in

Piscataway, New Jersey, a humble

building just under an eight-

minute bike ride from my house.

I’d grab my backpack, strap on

my helmet, and pedal furiously

down quiet side streets and

through a tangled, grassy path

until I emerged in the parking lot,

skidded to a halt in the designated

bike space, and headed inside for

hours of browsing. There was no

greater satisfaction than checking

out a new batch of books and

stuffing my backpack full to burst-

ing. It felt like a miracle to have

a place that contained so many

worlds waiting to be discovered—

and all for free. (Though, full dis-

closure, in my case late fees were

more the rule than the exception.)

For Yuyi Morales, a Caldecott

Honor–winning Mexican author

and illustrator of Dreamers, Viva

Frida, and other children’s books,

the library was an essential part

of her experience after she immi-

grated to the United States with

her infant son more than 25 years

ago. Separated from her family

and friends and struggling to learn

English, Morales wandered into

her local library in San Francisco

and found a quiet refuge, free of

judgment. “I was lost. I didn’t

know what I was going to do with

my life,” she says. “At the library

Photographs by Peter Ardito APRIL 2020 REAL SIMPLE 81

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