From Little Bookworms to Library Staff Members

In honour of The TD Summer Reading Club, we encouraged Library staff members to venture through their memories and photo albums for early glimpses of their future careers. The sweetness is almost too much to handle - and it's clear that they ended up right where they needed to be, based on these bookish moments in time.

Do you have childhood memories of taking part in a summer reading challenge? Epic stories from library visits long ago? Favourite books that will always hold a special place in your heart? Let us know in the comments.

And, keep reading on! If you miss the days of summer adventure, you don't need to look to far to find it again in adulthood! Visit your Library today and sign up for our Summer Book BINGO Challenge for Adults & Teens.

Hannah, Dartmouth North Public Library

Taken in October of 1995, I would have been 4. Here, my grandfather (no longer with us) reads a story to me and my cousins (not pictured here). One of the many people who inspired my love of reading.

Kassondra, Regional Programming

This is a photo of my older brother and myself circa 1991- I'm about 12-18 months old in this photo. The book is "The Curious Little Kitten Gets Lost" by Linda Hayward. My older siblings and I have a large age gap (14-18 years) so I don't have many photos of us together as I get older.

Laura, Central Library

Some of my favourite childhood memories are reading in bed with my cats. Sometimes they would come and poke their head in my room, see that I was reading, and hop on to the bed to join me. Other times I would have to go searching for them, pick them up, and they knew it was time to go read in bed. It didn't even matter what book it was, although I loved Nancy Drew and still love seeing those titles on the shelf. All that mattered was a weekend morning where I could take my time, reading in bed with my furry friend. The ultimate luxury...reading with a pet!

Alison, Regional Programming

My parents recently found this when going through old photo albums. They scanned it and sent it to me. That's me up in the top left corner, the really blonde one, sitting next to my sister who is holding a doll. I was 4 in this picture I think, and storytime was still very new at the library. I remember going to the library booksale after, and being able to bring home a discarded book that I didn't have to bring back. I still have it, it's "The River that Rushed too Much" by Dennis Wrigley. Maybe I was always destined to be a children's librarian!

Olivia, Captain William Spry Public Library

Reading in the hammock in Spring 2011 just a few years after my family moved to Canada. The British humour of "How to Train Your Dragon" had me giggling and reminded of what then still felt like home. 15 years, and hundreds of more bike rides to Captain William Spry Public Library later, Halifax feels a lot more like home.

Julie, Woodlawn Public Library

I've attached a photo that makes me laugh. That's me with my mother's fancy new hairdryer on. My sister and I are pretending to be at the hairdresser's. I think I'm leafing through my mother's Chatelaine magazine. I would have been 8, so this would have been around 1972.

Heather, Regional Programming

Here is me in a portrait sitting in October 1974. The photographer handed baby me (12 months) a picture book to keep her engaged in the photo shoot. I turned it right side up and 'read' the whole book, so most of the photos in this session look similar to this one. My favourite book in the early years was "Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever" - it is still in print.