Comments on: this is not a post about cats

By: Jeanette Forness

Jeanette Forness — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:42:01 +0000

I stumbled upon this site with pleasure. Hazel was my Aunt and I surely loved her a lot. I always enjoyed when she would come up to Ashland on the old train that wasn’t really for passengers. Couldn’t have been very comfortable, but it sure was fun waiting for it to roll into the station. I have some of her small clay figures that were baked and glazed. My mom also has an old video from library hour with her and the children. Maybe some of you are in it!!! It was nice to read here about your memories of a very special lady. Thank you. She would be very proud ,Hazels niece, Jeanette Forness

By: Citizen Reader

Citizen Reader — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:48:11 +0000

Amen! Thank you for giving a shout-out to a librarian who actually cared about the BOOKS. The last children’s librarian I knew spent 99% of her time crafting and dreaming about crafting and how crafts could be used in storytimes, and 1% of her time worrying about book selection and how the kids’ section of the library looked. God that used to piss me off. So this post was balm to my wounded public librarian soul.

By: Michael Golrick

Michael Golrick — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:56:37 +0000

As part of the “Why I became a librarian” meme of Feb ’08, I mentioned my childhood children’s librarian who really *is* the one who inspired me. I did talk with Miss Osborn, and at my first ALA (Chicago ’76) she bought me lunch. (Here is a link: http://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/2008/02/why-am-i-librarian.html)

When she died, a couple of years ago — wait I just checked, it has been more than 5 — I did a memorial resolution at ALA Council where I also mentioned that as part of the story time activities she helped us to learn to say the name of the nearby lake which is the longest place name in the US (and was on NPR’s ATC a few weeks ago).

But I wonder who I have touched. For almost 10 years I did half of the 2nd grade tours at the library I was director of, and gave them all a chance to ask me questions. Some of those were pretty interesting.

Anyway, thanks!

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:59:13 +0000

I loved your story! It brought back memories from my childhood. The visit to the library and all the wonderful and exciting days of exploration and discovery in the stacks. I do not remember the librarians, but I remember the beginning of my love affair with books. To quote and old saying, “Thanks for the memories.”

By: laura

laura — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:33:34 +0000

No, I don’t remember that — but then, as I’ve said, I don’t remember ever talking to her, and indeed, I barely knew her. But I still know the books she picked.

By: Judith

Judith — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:11:25 +0000

And do you remember that Hazel collected book marks? I had a fistful I was going to give her, but never got around to it before she died. Lovely, thank you.

By: Stephanie Willen Brown

Stephanie Willen Brown — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:48:24 +0000

That’s lovely, Laura.

By: joshua m. neff

joshua m. neff — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:12:30 +0000

What a beautiful, wise post! Thanks for writing this, Laura.