What Does My Public Library Mean To Me?
by Carrie Macon
age 17, Murfreesboro

Throughout the year, there are certain occasions that bring joy to people.  Some people cannot wait to hit that big birthday.  Others look forward to the first day at a new job, the fun that comes along with the fourth of July, or the happiness of giving on Christmas. For most students, the last day of school is high on their list of joyful occasions.  Many students agree, myself included, that summer is about relaxation, fun, and freedom.  The past few summers have proven to be especially productive and entertaining, in large part due to my time spent at Linebaugh Public Library.

During the school year, life is filled with tests, quizzes, projects, and homework,  While these activities are a necessary part of education, they leave little time for one of my favorite hobbies, leisurely reading.  However, summer brings not only hot temperatures and cookouts, it also brings me the free time to exercise my imagination through books.  After the last bell of the school year has rung.  I drive home knowing where many of my free hours of summer will be spent:  the library. 

Many summer mornings I wake up early and drive straight to the library, hoping to not waste one minute that could be spent reading.  I hurry to the elevator and quickly enter the building.  Although the time it takes me to enter the building is short, sometimes it can take me an hour or more to pick out that perfect book.  Once I find it I head home to spend the rest of the day exploring new worlds and learning new facts through the books I have checked out.

This is the kind of excitement that Linebaugh Library gives to me.  It allows my summer to be not another ordinary summer, but rather it enables me to travel all over the world without leaving Murfreesboro.  Much too soon it seems that summer is fading and I am back to the chaos of school.  While there is little time for reading, Linebaugh Library is still there to help. From English papers to research projects, Linebaugh library provides many sources that are beneficial for school work.

In the end, Linebaugh Library is both the source of fun and aid.  No matter what the age, the library provides a place to learn and to have fun at the same time, with little cost. Every time I step into the Linebaugh Public Library I do not think of it only as a brick building holding books.  Instead, I find myself walking into a world of my own, filled with history, fantasy, and imagination.

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