The Places We Go - Wagnall's Memorial Library

 Dear readers,


In order to devote more of my writing time to working on the 3 different books I’m neglecting badly, I’m going to reduce “Live Life, Write” to a twice monthly newsletter that will be released on the first and third Thursdays of each month.  At some point in the future it may go back to a weekly schedule, but in the meantime I have some books to get out (namely, the third installment of the Stanton Sisters Story and the unnamed “spy story” I’ve been picking away at for 2 years now).  Thanks for your support!


~ Lydia

____________________________________________________________________________


When I sat down to write the newsletter for today I promptly had to clear a pile of library books from my desk, and it inspired me to dedicate this week to one of my favorite local haunts.


For the last 17 years I have lived - and raised my family - in central Ohio.  Over those years we have found several “favorite” places that we enjoy visiting on repeat.  I’ve already shared a glimpse of one of them - Slate Run Farm - in a previous post that you can read here.  It occurred to me that one way I can show my appreciation to/for these great places is by giving them a shout-out that will hopefully help other families to find and enjoy them as well.  So occasionally, I will be doing just that.  


We’ll start at the top of the list, with the best library in the world: Wagnalls Memorial Library in Lithopolis, OH.  You can find their website linked here.


Photo credit wikipedia Wikimedia Common: Wagnalls Library


Nestled in the heart of the tiny little “Stone City”, that isn’t a city at all, but on clear days offers a great view of Columbus on the horizon, is a castle-like building that sits on the edge of an old quarry.  And it’s filled with books.  Including my own:


Wagnalls is not the largest library in central Ohio.  Nor are they the newest library in the area.  In fact, that’s kind of the point.  They don’t have ten million books on hand, escalators, a green-screen room, or a built-in cafe.  


What they do have to offer is a rich history, an amazing staff, a wide variety of affordable (often free) programs for everyone in the family, access (through library sharing) to millions of books, and the most beautiful building and grounds you could hope to explore.  In fact, the library itself is just the beginning.  Wagnall’s also offers several meeting rooms, a banquet hall, and a glorious old theater, among other attractive features.


We first visited the library when we moved here from Michigan in 2006, but to understand our relationship with it a little more, I need to go back farther.  My husband spent the first seven years of his life in the Lithopolis area before moving north, and had attended a childrens’ reading group at Wagnalls.  When we visited that first time, the program was still run by the same amazing children’s librarian who had led his reading group 20 years earlier!  She, and the rest of the staff, made reading and learning fun for my kids before they ever stepped foot in a school.  From the age of two all the way through kindergarten they enjoyed weekly trips to the library, annual summer reading programs, and reading groups that taught them a love of books that has not left them. 


We’ve hunted Easter eggs at Wagnalls, picnic-ed at Wagnalls, petted owls at Wagnalls, competed in Lego contests, taken Prom pictures, watched plays and magic shows in the theater, scavenger-hunt-ed, visited Santa, and checked out SO. MANY. BOOKS.  from Wagnalls.  Remember that one I shared a few weeks ago, called “Greetings from Sandy Beach”?  We discovered that gem there, and then forgot what it was called or who wrote it or what the cover looked like.  The same library queen who ran our reading groups managed to come up with it, given only the info, “It was about a trip to the beach and had a motorcycle gang in it.”  She solved our book mystery, despite the fact that it wasn’t well known and had been out of print for years.  She’s amazing.  


Years and years later, Wagnalls library is worth the extra drive (past two other perfectly good local libraries) for regular (often weekly) visits.  When I head that way for Writers’ Group I am often taxi-ing a couple of my own kids, as well as my niece - who will NEVER miss an opportunity to go.  When it’s time to stock up on reading and audio books for a long trip, we go to Wagnalls.  When we need to do some research in a quiet, distraction free place with infinite resources, we go to Wagnalls.  When we’re getting tired of our own collection of board games for family game night, we go to Wagnalls.  


And if you’re ever in the central Ohio area, I suggest that you do, too. 

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