National Library Week Essay 2009 Contest Winner
Written by Jill Dixon

We doff our hat to the world of Libraries
And to their wonderful staff so convivial
Our questions are answered and our needs are met
None of which ever seem trivial!
They recognize each and every call number
Put on a smile, and thru’ the stacks, wend their way
They take their job very seriously
Open seven days a week – with rather modest pay!

REMEMBER! EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT?
Our Library has newspapers from around the world –
Politics, Education, Afghanistan and Hollywood
Before your eyes, it all unfurls!
Tokyo, Beijing, London and Prague
Your language is here – and more –
All you’ll need is a library card
Your two feet (or wheel chair) and you’re in the door!

Special authors whom you  might like to read?
Churchill, Rowling, Ibsen and Alcott
Kipling, Dickens, Amy Tang and Obama
And our Trinidadian friend, Derek Walcott –
Greg Mortenson (You’ll love his Three Cups of Tea”)
Robert Frost, Tome Friedman and Theroux
“The Ugly American” by Lederer and Burdick
Not to mention Jacques Cousteau!!!

Need help with a budding hobby?
Stamps? Antiques? Cooking? Astronomy?
Or many a research paper on Population?
Cancer? Knee replacements? How about a lobotomy???
Building a tree-house or starting a garden?
Our Internet can help you – also our many books
For answers, we’d love to help you
So, take your time and have a look!!!

Let’s toot the flute and blow the horn
What do we say for our girls and boys?
Psychiatrists say they need better role models
Less TV and fewer toys!
Introduce them to AA Milne’s “Christopher Robin”
EB White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little” and Harry Potter
Remember! It’s your son and daughter!

Want to create and publish? Check out our Computer Department.
Workshops! Tutoring and courses galore!
Ebay, Google, PowerPoint and Excel
You can be computer-literate and more!
So, find a comfy chair
And turn off the TV
The Library has it all
And all of it is free!