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Childhood memories

I was a very, very avid reader as a child. Every week I would go to the nearest library or, if I was close enough at the time, one of the other San Diego libraries and grab a stack of books to take home with me. I would spend the next week reading each of those books until I was all finished and ready to return them the next week for a new stack of books. To put it simply, I read a lot of books growing up.

But there is no way I could have read nearly as much without the libraries.

Reading was so important for my childhood development, and I don’t think I would be the same person without this community access to books for free. It’s likely the same for so many kids out there whose families are financially struggling. Libraries give these kids the chance to read and to learn through reading as they grow up. The San Diego libraries were so important for me as a kid, and I hope that kids both today and in the future get this same chance to read a lot too!

The Dwindling of Third Spaces

Third spaces are neutral, informal spaces outside of the home that foster connection and community. If the first space is the home, the second space is work or school, the third space can be any/many things – a library included. Within the confines of capitalist culture, we have dwindling third spaces, or worse – needing to pay to access third spaces. The library stands as a test against that. There is a new library being built in my neighborhood, Casa De Oro, and I am SO excited to see the construction. I feel like I will make more use of…

LEARN Program

Upon retiring in 2014 as a surgeon, I joined the LEARN through Vista Branch with Hector Ortega as mentor. I thoroughly enjoyed my two clients until COVID shut us down. I learned much grammar while tutoring. One of my greatest thrills is seeing parents walk out with kids carrying piles of books. We have a 2-year-old great grandson who loves his books and being read to.Richard Muir , San Marcos.