Saturday 9 February marked National Libraries Day and to celebrate we collected mini love letters to libraries from readers and writers.
We asked our twitter followers to tell us why they love libraries using the #LoveLibraries hashtag. There was also an opportunity to add a Love Libraries twibbon to twitter and facebook profile pictures.
Below is a selection of our favourite mini love letters to libraries but you can find more by searching for #LoveLibraries on twitter.
Mini love letters to libraries from members of the public
@ummlilia: @readingagency I #lovelibraries because my tiny unemployed world is opened wide through books.
@TheSallyGardner: I #lovelibraries because they bring solace to many children who feel they don’t fit in at school @readingagency #NLD13
@LambethArchives: I #lovelibraries because you can learn about the history of your local area @readingagency #NLD13
@annasolemani: I #lovelibraries because to read makes my speaking English good @readingagency #NLD13
@allysseriordan: I #lovelibraries because they are a gold mine of free information, learning and entertainment that expand way beyond books. #NLD13
@SuperMagicBarry: I #lovelibraries because the whole world of adventure, arts & experience’s on offer within each @readingagency #NLD13
@frommycloud: Libraries are like boxes of chocolates for the mind, with all the satisfaction, but none of the calories. #LoveLibraries #NLD13
@YoungVic: I love my library because of the vital role it plays in providing resources, refuge, company and play to all. #LoveLibraries
@EditorEmma: I #lovelibraries because they encourage experimental reading – it doesn’t cost anything to try something new. @readingagency #NLD13
@dosticen: Dear @dudleylibraries I love that you are warm, welcoming and full of friendly staff and wifi #LoveLibraries #NLD13
@GuptaPamela: I #lovelibrariesbecause my dad would take me to Central Library in Derby every Sat as a treat & it bonded us. #NLD13
@MirandaMcK: I #LoveLibraries because they are the ultimate democratisers of reading. #NLD13
@JoDawson: Without libraries, where else would my mum have taken me on rainy afternoons, and where would I take my kids? #LoveLibraries
@QuercusDan: I #lovelibraries because Hebden Bridge’s gave my childhood free music, M.Twain & Just William @readingagency #NLD13
@BollywoodSeries: I #lovelibraries because there is nowhere else that you can find so many different worlds in one place. #NLD13
@sarahmussi: I #lovelibraries because they are staffed by WONDERFUL LIBRARIANS. #NLD13
@bookiemcp: I #lovelibraries because whatever my mood, they have a book to match! @readingagency #NLD13
@aimeeheuz: Growing up in the outback, the library that posted me books each week was my vital, precious link to the wider world. @readingagency #LoveLibraries #NLD13
@LydiaSyson: I #lovelibraries because they offer a retreat & an escape: a window onto the world @readingagency #NLD13
@Chris_of_Durham: Dear Library you have taken me to magical places, mystical times & opened my mind to wonderful things. Thanks! #LoveLibraries
@SE_Baker: Happy National Libraries Day! I #lovelibrariesbecause they house and protect my very favourite things! @readingagency #NLD13
@GrantMGillespie: I #lovelibraries @readingagency because I’m only an arm’s length away from being wiser. #NLD13
@Alisonannk: I #lovelibraries because they saved me. They have made me a happier and healthier person.
@fiftyyearsof: I # LoveLibraries because they are landmarks on the map of my life.
@Akhlaq1386: Libraries have a tranquillity that is calming, especially when reading a book or doing educational work. @readingagency #LoveLibraries
@hsg_298: I #lovelibraries because they provide equal opportunities for kids to have great futures #NLD13 @readingagency
Mini love letters to libraries from authors
The_Real_McNab: I #lovelibraries because they changed my life and they could change yours too. Get reading.readingagency #NLD13
@SteveColeBooks: I #lovelibraries because you can cheekily borrow books off a shelf, read them to bits and love them to death @readingagency #NLD13
@KatieFforde: I #lovelibraries – let me count the ways – @readingagency #NLD13 Never met a writer who doesn’t live libraries. Me too.
@AnnCleeves: I #lovelibraries because sometimes something enormous happens. People’s minds get changed. @readingagency#NLD13
@Sathnam: I #lovelibraries because the books I borrowed made me feel less alone @readingagency#NLD13
@malorieblackman: I love libraries ‘cause without Lewisham Library’s books as a child, I wouldn’t be a writer now. http://ow.ly/hsUXp #LoveLibraries #NLD13
@acwilsonwriter: I #lovelibraries because I would not have survived early motherhood without them! @readingagency #NLD13 ow.ly/hsPmr"
@balirai: I #lovelibraries because they contain books, and books are the keys to the world. @readingagency #NLD13
@JaneCaseyAuthor: couldn’t have written my last books without my local library & saw them help all ages to love books. #LoveLibraries #NLD13
@mariwriter: I #lovelibraries because they bring people together – especially today. @readingagency #NLD13
@williamfiennes: A library has more doors than any other room. Once inside, you can go anywhere. #lovelibraries @readingagency #NLD13
@FansofJWilson: I used to borrow a book a day from Kingston library as a child. Long live libraries! #LoveLibraries#NLD13
@DrMichaelBrooks Why love libraries? because they’re full of surprises. Try one. #lovelibraries #NLD13
@asoueif: I love libraries because you always find something more interesting than what you think you want #LoveLibraries #NLD13
@LydiaSyson: I couldn’t be a writer without libraries – past, present and future too. @readingagency #lovelibraries #NLD13
@QuintinJardine: I #lovelibraries because mine taught me to love books and gave me the ambition to write some @readingagency #NLD13
@Elif_Safak: I #lovelibraries because they are both home and the farthest place on earth one can ever sail to #NLD13
Get involved
Let us know your mini love letters to libraries by posting yours in the comment box below, emailing your love letter to [email protected] or tweeting @readingagency using the #LoveLibraries hashtag.
Find out more about National Libraries Day and read about the new announcements we made on National Libraries Day, including revealing the Summer Reading Challenge theme for 2013.
