How Local Library Trips Helped my Development as a Reader and Writer
Submitted as an assignment in English 101
Reading has been a pastime that I have enjoyed since I was a child. It has been an activity that has carried me through childhood, adolescence, and now into adulthood as well. With it has come an interest in writing, which has developed over the years for me personally and collegiately. While I do remember enjoying listening to my school librarian read my class a designated book every week during our scheduled time, I found that I developed my reading and subsequent writing appreciation through self- discovery. And that really all started with weekly trips to my local library.
The location is a large white, concrete building located on a downtown street tucked between local businesses. At a cursory glance, it may not seem that significant. But walking by the big silver, large letters spelling out Lancaster Public Library nearly every Saturday for a couple years as an elementary aged kid meant the world to me. Right when I would walk through the automated sliding doors at the entrance, my gaze would turn to the large children’s book section located on the left side of the building.
Located here were books for upper elementary and middle school aged children, and I would make it a point to scour the shelves with my bags in hand, looking for new books, especially additions to a book series I already liked. I gravitated towards thicker books and was always interested in trying out new books based on their cover design and description. Over the years, I read through several series like Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, and it opened my imagination to so many new things. I didn’t realize that these library trips would help me develop habits that would influence how I learned and communicated later on in life.
A crucial way I developed as a reader was through self-exploration and discovery. Unlike school assignments where I was given a passage or book to read, the library afforded me the opportunity to pick out things I wanted to enjoy for myself. That has carried on into adulthood, where I have sought various biographies, self-help books, and other aids in order to help increase my knowledge of a topic or person and gain more insight into my life. Additionally, consistent reading has improved my vocabulary by exposing me to a larger catalog of words that I otherwise wouldn’t know. Lastly, cycling through so many different genres of books has helped expose me to various cultures, lifestyles, thought processes, and writing styles that has expanded my horizons for growth and imagination.
All of these improvements as a reader subsequently have led to me developing a love for short form writing. Starting in elementary school, I decided to keep journals to document my thoughts on any given day- this was self-exploration, not anything assigned by my school. I dabbled a bit in writing short stories; re-imagining my family in various outlandish settings, with one describing us as a royal family. I would like to think that being exposed to a larger vocabulary as well as a plethora of different books has enriched the way that I write today.
My love for reading, writing, casual photography and digital media had me thinking about what degree program I should study in college. I was a couple years into the start of my military career and had already been enrolled in one online school to finish up my general education courses. Arizona State University was recommended to me as a military friendly school, so I decided to look into the bachelor programs that were offered. Mass Communication and Media Studies stood out to me as program that fit the various interests that I had.
Through this degree program, I have been afforded the opportunity to create a blog website to showcase various topics related to digital literacy, AI, and misinformation and more based on class requirements. Additionally, I felt motivated to create a personal page where I can pop on periodically to share posts related to my life and thoughts. Now I feel like I have a platform based on my interests where I can compile my “journalistic” thoughts and inspire others to take chances and live out their goals. This all takes me back to the desire for self-exploration and expression I had as a child and am still working on as an adult.
I would have never known that the habits I was developing while frequenting my local library every week would have an influence on my adult life and college pursuits. Leaning into my interest in book reading led to my trying out journaling, which has now led to me sharing blog posts in the hopes of providing encouragement. Reading has helped me be more knowledgeable on various words ( and their meanings) and topics which is helpful in navigating conversations, work environments, and social engagements.
As someone who works with students, or is enrolled in college yourself, I would encourage you to be a life-long learner. There may have been interests you had as a child that you never pursued, or there is a new opportunity that has caught your eye. Take a chance on the opportunity if it’s feasible because you never know where it may take you. There was a period of time when I took a break from consistent reading and writing and focused more on career requirements. When that became a little less demanding, I realized that reading and writing were skills I had developed over the years, and that I wanted to work on more as an adult. I’m still on a journey through my growth as a reader and writer, but I can honestly look back and be thankful from where I’ve come.
