To celebrate World Book Day, some of us bookworms at Lean Library decided to rifle through our shelves and share our favourite books, old and new. This day is also the perfect opportunity to thank all the wonderful librarians that work so hard to amplify reading in children and adults alike. Librarians create readers every single day, not only on World Book Day! We acknowledge the invaluable role of librarians by sharing the ways they have helped us on our own reading journeys.
Matt (Managing Director)
Favourite book:
Circe by Madeline Miller.
What do you love about it?
It’s just so beautiful, particularly the way the author writes about what it is to be human.
How has a librarian helped you?
I still remember the librarians at the Bodleian Library that helped me with my undergraduate thesis. I arrived at the Bodleian one day with no idea how to even begin. I had some vague notion of doing something on chivalry, but beyond that I was stumped. I didn’t even have a research question. The librarians (they were amazingly generous with their time) knew exactly what to give me – a series of incredible primary sources from the middle ages. One was a knight’s diary that I was shown a contemporary copy of and allowed to actually hold and read in a special section. Can you imagine it? Talk about knowing how to inspire wonder and creativity in a student!
Yawei (Library Services Consultant)
Favourite book:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
What do you love about it?
I think this book has a special sense of beauty and has taught me the ‘need to dream’. Every time I read it, I glean something different from it.
How has a librarian helped you?
I went to TU Delft library with a friend to study for an exam, but when we arrived there were no seats available in the public area. We decided to go to the front-desk and ask for assistance. The librarian then very kindly helped to search for and eventually find a room for us by using a library subscribed service.
Before we headed to the room, we had a small talk about the exam and talked about how challenging it could be to find the references without paying for them, and the front-desk redirected us to a librarian who helped us to search for it on their database. Eventually we got a free PDF version via our student emails. Using the printer, we printed everything out on the same day!
Adam (Development Manager)
Favourite book:
Vaster than Sky, Greater than Space: What you are before you came by Mooji Baba.
What do you love about it?
This book changed my perceptions forever. I awoke to something that I couldn’t see or feel before. Mooji’s words and stories guide the reader to a direct experience of oneself and the nature of reality. We affect what we observe, but who is the observer? This book wiped my lenses so I could witness what is here, present in the moment.
How has a librarian helped you?
There are a few, but this is a nice one think. I’m from a small village in the South Welsh valleys (we didn’t have much to do growing up there) so our friends used to travel to Ystrad Mynach (a town 1 mile away) to visit the library. We used to visit the public library at least once a week and the librarians were always super kind to us. Recommending books, helping us with projects, and always being patient when we were being loud!
Daniel (Product Manager)
Favourite book:
The Never-Ending Story by Michael Ende is the one that I remember reading the most!
What do you love about it?
I got an Offspring album at the same time when I got the book, and so naturally, I listened it over and over while reading the book… As a result, when I now listen to the same music, I remember parts of the book so clearly! The mind is a funny place.
Fiona (Sales & Marketing Executive)
Favourite book:
Heidi by Johanna Spyri.
What do you love about it?
My grandmother bought this book for me when I was seven and wrote a message on the first page: ‘I hope you have as many hours of enjoyment from reading Heidi as I did when I was young. I read it at least ten times!’ It then became my favourite too and I read it over and over (and over) again. It’s a sweet, enduring children’s classic that transports you to a land of purple mountain peaks and jumping goats and snow that piles up above the windows in the winter.
How has a librarian helped you?
We used to visit the library every week as a family and the children’s librarian would always be on hand to recommend the next Jacqueline Wilson book or to renew a loan on a book I didn’t want to return yet! Then when I was at university, the English subject librarian became invaluable in helping me source material for my very specific dissertation on Harry Potter!
Andy (Head of Technology)
Favourite book:
Excuse the title, but my favourite book in recent years is F**K You Very Much: The surprising truth about why people are so rude by Danny Wallace.
What do you love about it?
The book centres around an incident Danny had with a rude waitress that causes him down a path of understanding the effects of rudeness and how it affects our everyday. Spoiler alert: it really does.
How has a librarian helped you?
Our school librarian was a very kind lady who used to let me and my friends play chess in the library during breaks. I wasn’t much of a reader at school but was very grateful to have something to do between class!
Happy World Book Day, especially to the librarians for all their hard work every day. We appreciate you, and the books and services that you champion!