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What the Library means to me
Lisa Iodice, Library Board of Trustees Alternate
"Before I was old enough to get my own library card, I fondly remember walking to the East Branch Library in Watertown with my Mom. I was always filled with a sense of reverence; the Library seemed so big and I was so small and people always spoke in hushed tones. But as soon as I would pick up a book and start reading, the Library would disappear around me and I would be lost in a world created by the words on the page. Many years later, I still experience the same effect; once I start reading, the rest of the world drops away.
The Library helped me learn about alphabetical order, the Dewey Decimal system (which always seemed like a scavenger hunt to me) and because I grew up prior to the internet, I learned about a wide variety of subjects because the Library was the only place you were able to do research when writing a paper for school. It was the place where I became fascinated with vampires and werewolves long before there was ever a Twilight Saga. Even to this day, I will prefer to read the book versus seeing the movie version; the movie versions usually pale in comparison to what my mind envisions.
Today's Library is truly a community place, whether it's attending a sponsored program, using the public computer or checking out the latest book by your favorite author. The Library played such a large part in my life growing up that I wanted to do something to give back to the institution in general and what it had meant to me, which is why I ran for Library Trustee back in 2004. In the years since I have been a Trustee, Chair, Vice Chair and am now currently serving as an Alternate while I am back in school."
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