Beth Volkman for National Library Workers Day

Source of image: ALA Allied Professional Association

Today, in honor of National Library Workers Day, I want to give special appreciation to library workers who inspired me. Among them, Beth Volkman served as librarian at Calistoga Junior/Senior High School in Calistoga, Calif.

During my time at school, I was subjected to constant bullying and ostracism. I was unable to find friendship among my peers, and the library was my refuge. I deeply appreciated the supportive, enriching place that Mrs. Volkman created in the library.

Mrs. Volkman also influenced my later reading life. She gave me a library decommissioned book, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. My husband and I read that same copy aloud to each other during a statewide reading promotion.