October is Canadian Library Month. During CLM, libraries and library partners across Canada raise awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians’ lives. This year’s theme was “A Visit Will Get You Thinking”. Libraries are vital community hubs, and it is safe to say most of us have needed and used a library at some point in our lives.

In honour of CLM, we asked members of our community to tell us, “What do libraries mean to you?”.

“Through my life, libraries have been a partner. Growing up in a small town in Southern Ontario, my local library in Ancaster provided my first exposure to the wide range of books available. Trips to the library fueled long summer days spent reading. In high school I started to explore various libraries in the big city of Hamilton, and was amazed at the tools I could find to support my research. At Queen’s the library not only became my study place, but I was exposed to primary sources through the archives. In Toronto I worked in a corporate library, a whole new type of library to explore, and also frequented the public and academic libraries in my neighbourhood. Once my daughters were born, I saw libraries again with new eyes, as I watched them explore, play and learn. Libraries have been a partner through all these stages and changes, stimulating my curiosity, facilitating my learning, and providing recreation. They are a central part of what I consider community.” – Sandra Toze (SIM Director)

“Libraries to me mean a sort of sanctuary, where I know the rules, and can feel at home, no matter where I am in the world. It’s a place to find information, use a computer, or just avoid the rain for a few minutes. A library accepts me no matter how confused I am, how small my question is, or how foreign I sound. It’s a home away from home.” – Lucille Kiester (Liaison Librarian, WK Kellogg Health Sciences Library)

“Libraries mean many things to me, but above all knowledge and freedom. With the rapid changes in technology and society we have seen over the past few decades and the challenges that have come with them, I am grateful we have institutions like libraries that support both the right to know and freedom of expression.” – Lori McCay-Peet (SIM Professor)

“Especially in rural areas, libraries mean access. They’re community hubs that facilitate access to and the exchange of information in so many ways, especially for individuals for whom barriers may exist such as economic, health status, language, or digital literacy.” – Carlye Stein (1st year MLIS Student)

“Libraries, academic and public, to me have always been a home away from home. As a young immigrant I remember spending time at the libraries made me so happy that I could forget how much I missed not having my family around, at least for a short time. While I was still new to Canada, the libraries were among the first places that I immediately felt accepted and welcome. I could access the internet, books, magazines, newspapers, and a happy place all at the same time. Once at a library I still always feel that only the sky is the limit.” – Zara Palevani (2nd year MLIS Student)