What the Bill Memorial Library means to me.
Part of:
The Bill Memorial Library and the Groton Bank Community: Past, Present, & Future
Friends of Bill Memorial Library Exhibit
I love almost every library that I have been in, but the Bill Memorial Library is my favorite. I was introduced to this treasure when I first moved to Southeastern Connecticut. It was a special place for my husband and I before we married. We then introduced our children to the Bill when they were young. Once our children started to fly the nest, the Bill provided me with intellectual and professional nourishment.
When I moved to Southeastern Connecticut around 1993, I was dating a man who grew up in Groton. He brought me to one of his favorite places in the neighborhood--The Bill Memorial Library. I will be forever grateful to him for connecting me to the BML. That man, who is now my husband, moved from the Town of Groton to the City of Groton when he was in junior high school. He is a voracious reader and the supply of books in his family home was not enough to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. He was thrilled to find that he could bike to the Bill and read all sorts of books. The Bill library provided a safe, comfortable environment where he could absorb the information that he craved.
Later, when he introduced me to the Bill library, I was instantly smitten. My husband, who studied ecology, showed me the extensive display cases of birds. They were housed in the same room with the children’s collection (now used as the Reference Room). I remember wonderfully sloped tables, where a child could prop a picture book and pore over it. At that time the Teen Room was the Reading Room, a welcoming parlor where one could sit and read at leisure. In other words, a paradise.
After my husband and I had been blessed with three children I learned that Mary-Jane, who I knew through mutual friends, worked at the magical Bill Memorial Library. It was time to introduce my children to this treasure. Mary-Jane graciously led us on a little tour of the library. She had a goal. At that time, my young son sported a (faux) coonskin cap. He wore it every minute of every day. Mary-Jane led us upstairs to the second floor of the library and lo and behold, there was a wonderful painting of a boy wearing the very same hat! As if it could get any better, she guided us to the displays of artifacts in the attic. My kids felt that they had discovered a secret museum.
My children began to graduate and I decided it was time for me to re-enter the workforce. My dream job was to work part-time in a library. After sending out a lot of resumes, I learned that there might be an opening at the Bill Memorial Library. Could it be possible? A dream job in a dream library? Miraculously, Hali hired me. She and my BML co-workers imparted to me the secrets of Library Land. They inspired me to embark on a Master’s Degree program in Library and Information Science. Thanks to the Bill Memorial Library, I finally know what I want to be when I grow up--a librarian.
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