What my library’s for

My library is a communications tool with two audiences: others and myself.

1. Sharing my library with others teaches them about me. The books I own and their placement on my shelves speaks to their place in my life. Whether I intend to read them or not, the potential of the books in my library captures a sense of who I am and who I want to be.
2. My library is also for reminding me of, well, myself. In times of trouble, when I feel lost or disoriented, my books—and, more broadly, my library—ground me. When I can’t manage to talk sense to myself, I close my mouth and turn to my books, old friends who inevitably have something wise to say.