Welcome to "Your Story," a spotlight on the voices of our library patrons. Through a series of inspiring interviews, we invite you to hear firsthand how the library has played a vital role in shaping lives, fostering connections, and nurturing dreams. Join us as we celebrate the impact of our beloved library and the stories that make it a cornerstone of our community.
Mary Jo Bennett,
Hilton Head Branch
Our Hilton Head library is truly my second home! From the Monday afternoon book club to Friday morning meditation and yoga, our library has been a primary source of community, for myself & countless others. Reading is my lifeblood and our library keeps me well nourished & happy! Deepest gratitude to all our terrific librarians & support staff.
Diane Valeri,
Bluffton Branch
I remember the excitement on Mom’s face.
A library was being built in our small town of Ambler, PA.
"What’s a library?"I asked."
"Free? My own card? As many books as I can carry?"
I was gobsmacked.
Imagine.
I became a fan.
Anything I wondered about
could be found in the stacks.
No raising eyebrows! No restrictions!
A new freedom followed me through a lifetime of questions and curiosities.
Kinda magical.
When I moved to Bradley Beach, NJ, the library was the first place I checked out.
A small sign said,” Prompt writing group, Mondays at 7:00”
My first group of friends, encouragement, interesting people.
A rebirth of a passion for writing that withered in school. A critical teacher.
I put down my pen, and there it had stayed
my whole adult life.
Retirement brought me to Bluffton, SC. Yep! Straight to the library
Tons of information about local and national online writing groups during COVID-19
God bless libraries; to learn, to grow, to expand.
Always at the heart of world and local concerns.
That first and last bastion of freedom.
Sadly, now under attack. But more resilient than politics, less vulnerable than educators.
Keep the fire burning, you are a lighthouse above a stormy sea.
Dr. Katherine Seeber,
Bluffton Branch
As a community based archaeologist and historian, I really appreciate having the library as a place to work for my small, locally rooted cultural resource management firm. It’s not just where we handle admin tasks. It’s where we meet to talk through the heritage focused work we do, like Gullah Geechee descendant research, incorporating bilingual language in history exhibit design, or supporting individuals with deep roots in Beaufort County.
I love that we can come here and know we have a spot. Everyone’s friendly, the vibe is great, and honestly I’m just more productive here. It’s a welcoming space that helps us think clearly and stay connected to the people we serve.
We’ve had some really thoughtful conversations at the Hilton Head Library with primary and secondary stakeholders, focusing on heritage concerns that impact the communities we serve. At the Beaufort branch, we’ve reserved meeting rooms and then taken the opportunity to go on walking tours and explore the local history nearby. Being able to work in those kinds of environments deepens the meaning of what we do.
Since working here, we’ve also become more aware of the library’s public lectures and events. Even if we can’t always make it, they’ve definitely inspired or informed our work. Cultural work just feels better when it happens in a space that belongs to everyone.
Gloria Barry,
Bookmobiles
Since I was a young girl, and even now at 88, reading has always been one of life's great pleasures for me. And now that I'm widowed, I find I have an abundance of time to spend doing what I so enjoy. What has changed, to my delight, is that I can now indulge so easily thanks to the sun city bookmobile! I look forward to Thursdays and chatting with Lyndsay and Sarah, who are always so pleasant and helpful. So, thanks to the Beaufort library system for "spoiling" me.
Anonymous
I am using this platform to express my gratitude to the bookmobile ladies.
I generally go to the Riverbend stop. Occasionally the Towncenter/Purrisberg.
These 2 woman are professional, friendly, knowledgeable and always a bright smile. I do go to the Bluffton or Ridgeland branch, who are kind and helpful. But the Bookmobile gals have that extra special. I have enjoyed their suggested selections.
I look forward to my Thursday
Pick up/returns. Be proud of their representation of the library system.
Cindy Bisheimer
Beaufort Branch
Growing up as an introverted child in Akron, Ohio, the library was my refuge. I read anything and everything I could get into my hands. I reread my favorites and still remember them to this day. Once I got married and had children, the library was the perfect place to take them. We would ride the bus downtown and pick out our books and if I had extra money we’d go to the peanut shoppe to get some broken cashews. Those memories are so precious to me. My oldest was able to read at a fourth grade level when she started school. My youngest daughter grew up in the library and now is a librarian herself. Maybe you know her, Mrs. Traci Cox. We are extremely proud of her and her sister for their intelligence and how they interacted with adults. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. I don’t know where we would be without the library to fuel them.
Anne Marie Burke,
Bookmobiles
As a child I remember my mother checked out prints of famous artwork to expose her children to famous artists. I always enjoyed the picture books and their illustrations. As an adult I used the library to supplement my 2nd grade classroom library. I would choose non-fiction books to compliment units of study, and fiction to focus on the styles of authors like Cynthia Rylant and Kate DiCamillo. As a retired adult i love that the Bookmobile vists our community once a week. I also love having access to audiobooks on Hoopla. The public library is awesome!
Karen Vito,
Bookmobiles
I grew up in a very small town with no library. I have loved reading all my life. The nearest town's library costs too much for my family to join. When i got married and moved, our library was a storefront and they charged a small fee to join. When I moved to Sun City and found the Beaufort Library, I was ecstatic! All theses books, all these programs, all these book sales at no cost. Wow! Wonderful. I LOVE our library and bookmobile.
Kat Armstrong,
Beaufort Branch
I have been doing my library's summer reading program since I was a child growing up in Iowa. (Thanks Mom!) It was tough to be so far away when I moved down here the summer after college, but visiting the library to participate in Beaufort County Library's summer reading program felt like a little slice of home. Now summer doesn't feel complete without the summer reading program, and it's something I look forward to every year.
Justin, Victoria, Zachary, and Hailey Bishop,
St. Helena Branch
Everything about the library makes my family happy! From jumping into a new adventure with reading books to all the sweet librarians who make coming to the library a welcoming and friendly environment ! We make it to the library at least once a week sometimes twice! St. Helena Library is our Library home, but we venture to others! Reading in the Gullah Sculpture is mine and my daughter’s favorite! We also enjoy all the events hosted at the library, from my son joining chess club, to gardening, Fun with Tye Dye, or Friday Movie Time! We always Love our time at the library! Love The Bishops!
Kendell Brinkmann,
Hilton Head Branch
During third grade, my father's company transferred our family to Sioux City, IA. My siblings and I were plucked from our familiar surroundings and routines, and dropped onto Elmdale Avenue. School was already recessed by the time we relocated, so we knew no one and had no friends. A long and lonely summer loomed ahead.
But I remember like it was yesterday, spying the Bookmobile parked up the block from our house. I had never encountered one before and couldn't wait to see what was in store. Inside there was a whole new world filled with faraway places and friends. That summer, the librarians introduced me to Nancy (Drew), Laura (Ingalls), Ramona (Quimby), Margaret (Simon), and many more. Together, through those type-set pages, we shared wonderful adventures. Those friendships and my relationship to the public library system has endured and thrived for nearly 60 years.
To say that the library saved my life is a bit dramatic. However, the public library has made my world a bigger, brighter and a more interesting place filled with old friends, and those I've yet to meet.
Bethany Ramseur,
Hilton Head Branch
Visiting the Library has been a beloved tradition in my life ever since I was young. My earliest memory of a library was attending storytimes with my siblings in elementary school and watching librarians act out Alice in Wonderland with puppets as they read aloud. Fast forward to my most recent memory at the library: just this past Saturday, I brought my two children to read to a yellow lab named Sandy. During college and graduate school days, the library was a place of peace and investigation, with quiet carrels for writing papers and reading assigned texts in between classes. One year, when I took on a new role teaching Spanish to young children, the library became my lifeline for materials to curate lesson plans with vibrant characters and captivating plot lines. Now, the library can be an escape from a rainy weekend to search for new books to fill our nightly reading routines. It can be a place of discovery of new resources, games, and friends. To sum up the role the library has played in my life, it is most like the ocean that surrounds our Hilton Head island in that it is hard to adequately capture in words or quantify in numbers, unexpectedly beautiful, and simultaneously a force for tranquility and strength.
Anonymous
My son is very bright and an avid reader. We visit the library weekly for new books, educational events and meeting friend. We are grateful for the library's services to access a variety of books to keep a bright future for all students.
Anita Coon,
Bluffton Branch
One of my clearest memories from childhood involves the library. I was five years old and standing in my living room at the window, watching neighborhood children pass our house carrying books to the library which was located two blocks farther up the street. I was crying because I wanted to carry books to the library too. I already loved books and was an eager reader. My mother noticed my distress and enlisted my older brother to take me to the library and help me register for a library card. That first library card became my most cherished possession. To be able to go to the children's section, select the maximum 10 books, take them home, devour them, and return for more was pure childhood bliss! Thus began my lifelong love of libraries that continued through college.
When my daughter was born, my trips to the library took on an even deeper appreciation. Seeing her shared love of books and joy upon entering the library was both nostalgic and completely novel. We enjoyed the summer reading program and story hour at our little country library that was accessed from our bike trail. If we drove to the downtown library, what wonders to be found on an entire floor of the children's section. Plus, there were guinea pigs to coo over and bring empty Kleenex boxes to offer as nesting materials. Adventures galore!
Now as a retired person, my love of reading can be indulged without limits. I still enjoy participating in the Summer Reading Program. I have witnessed library technology advancements from the card catalog, to computer searches, interlibrary loans, and more. My favorite advancement however is Hoopla and Flipster. The absolute luxury of borrowing an e-book, audio book, or magazine from home is a benefit that I still marvel over. That former five year old girl need never yearn for access to the library ever again. Libraries are a strong thread of the fabric of our community, and indeed a constant fiber in my own life tapestry.
Theresa Blackburn,
Beaufort Branch
The library has been a lifelong part of me that I have done my best to share with my son. I remember going to the library as a child and was ecstatic to get my very own library card; signing my name on the back of MY library card was a proud moment for my reading heart. As I grew up, the library was a constant aspect of my life and when I had my son, I knew as a mom, teacher, and lifelong reader that I wanted him to grow up knowing the library. Grayson has attended story time with Ms. Cathleen since he was born and now, almost four years later, he begs to go to the library. He enjoys getting on the computer, searching for books himself, and saying “Good Morning” to the front desk T-Rex! Going to the library is now an experience I get to live with Grayson every week.
Anonymous
The library is our heaven--a world within walls. My eldest reads through galaxies. My youngest laughs in the halls. We meet, we learn, we grow, where quiet magic flows. Librarians greet us by name--familiar, warm and wise. In this place of stories and light our family truly thrives.
Maria Lopez,
Hilton Head Branch
Recuerdo la visita al hospital de una trabajadora de la libreria de HHI acabadba de tener ami bebe esofue hace 15 anos aplique para targeta de la libreria aempeze a asistiv con mis hijos desde entances mi hija de 9 anos se enamoro de los libros ella comenzo el preK sabiendo leer libros pequenos asi tambien nacio el amor por el espacio gracias a los libros que llevamos a casa.
I remember a visit to the hospital from a Hilton Head Island library worker. I had just had my baby 15 years ago. I applied for a library card and started attending with my children. Since then, my 9-year-old daughter fell in love with books. She started pre-K knowing how to read small books. That's how her love for space was also born, thanks to the books we brought home.
Anonymous
As a child books from the library took me to places unknown. Broadened my vocabulary.
Carol Fox,
Bookmobiles
Shari Borenstein,
Bookmobiles
I never read much growing up because I struggled with reading. As I started working, I never had the time to read, except for books that I used in my classroom. I explored various genres and began to find those that interested me. I realized how important it was to make reading fun for my students. Every year our school library ordered books that were on the Connecticut Nutmeg list. I read all ten each year. We then created questions of various difficulty about these books. The children loved being challenged and couldn't wait to read all of the books.
Now being retired, I am thrilled that I have time to read. Bookmobile South (Lyndsay and Sarah) make it possible for me to get books weekly that I am enjoying. Reading has helped me to relax and sleep well!
Jamie Venise,
Beaufort Branch
Libraries have meant the world to me from earliest childhood. My mother was a teacher who read Browning to me at bedtime, even though I was too young to understand much of it. But the music of the words! I went to the excellent local library on Long Island every week, and once asked the librarian how many books I could check out at once. “As many as you can carry,” she said. What an extraordinary moment and I have remembered it for over fifty years. In large part due to the resources of that library, I was able to do all the research for my PhD in British and American Literature. The staff was able to find rather obscure texts from libraries all over the country. One of the first questions I asked when moving to Beaufort was, “where is the library?” Thank you all for adding this next superb chapter to the love story I share with books and my “second homes,” public libraries.
My closest friends in childhood were those I read about constantly - Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins and Vicki Barr Flight Stewardess. They inspired me to dream about a life of travel and adventure. As I grew up and started working, I stopped reading. But since I retired to Bluffton and sun city two years ago, my life is filled wth books and fascinating characters and stories. I'm so grateful for the friendly, helpful librarians at Beaufort County bookmobile south!
Amy Smith,
Bluffton Branch
My earliest memories of the library start at an early age with visits to the Deer Park Public library with my Mom. Mom always had an armful of books to return and left with an equally large armful of new books when our visit was through. I would go to the children's section and choose books that I thought I might like to read. Looking across the library I could always locate my mother's tall, slender figure among the stacks, giving me comfort of her presence. I felt very grown up like her choosing my own armful of books.
As my reading skills matured my Mom would make suggestions of books in the Junior Section that I might enjoy. I remember the very thick book titled Lad: A Dog and the Black Beauty series, along with the delightful characters created by Beverly Cleary. I think one of my first "Adult" books was a Mary Higgins Clark mystery, whom I followed for years.
The library seemed to be the perfect place for us. We were both quiet people, not often filled with long winded conversation. The quietness and orderliness of the library was a comfort and escape from our, at times, not so quiet and orderly home.I am grateful to my Mom for empowering me with the knowledge and love of the library. It has remained a constant throughout my life and I enjoyed sharing all the library has to offer with my own children.
Jim Wallace,
Hilton Head Branch
Millie Hahn,
Bookmobiles
Books in the library broaden your horizons from near to far away. Books expand your mind.
Kenneth Lee Hahn,
Bookmobiles
A library is a portal into the knowledge of humanity... if you only seek to pursue it. k. l. Hahn
I love visting various libraries... especially the library of congress in Washington, D. C.
When I was a teenager I loved the mystery stories by the author Howard Pease. I haunted the school library to find his books. Fast forward about 50 years and I decided to collect all of his books for my home library (and read them again!). At first I visited used book stores, and when the internet became available I soon was able to find all his books (but they were more expensive). As I read them now, as an eighty-something, I discovered that all his books included a moral, that as a kid I didn't recognize. Reading his books probably influenced how I grew into an adult, but I didn't realize it at the time.
Mollie Kinard,
Hilton Head Branch
The Library has been a calm consistent presence throughout my life. I remember checking out my first book when I was 6 ( The Napping House) to ling nights during college reading and researching, to sharing the calm presence with my children. There is nothing I love more than finding a new story to escape in or using the SC resource room to dive deeper in our history. The library is a happy place.
Susan McKessy,
St. Helena Branch
As a child, growing up in Atlanta my father read 3 newspapers daily and 10 library books a week. My mother went to the library every week to pick out books for Daddy and we kids (all 4 of us) got to go to the library of ten. As adults we all love to read and we are sure it's because we saw our parents read, especially Daddy. Sweet memories!