Stories That Stay With Us

Eiseley Branch Library benefits from the talents of a lot of creative people on our team—and we each contribute in our own ways of beautifying our building and making it exciting for our patrons to visit and engage with. Although I haven’t done many bulletin boards, I felt the need to challenge myself in a new way this past winter, so I signed up for one of the larger bulletin spaces behind the Youth Services desk. I wanted something that really spoke to winter, imagination, and dreaming through the long nights, which is why I chose "Mama Do You Love Me?" as inspiration.

Barbara Joosse’s "Mama Do You Love Me?" is one of the first narratives to introduce me to Inuit and Indigenous cultures, the illustrations by Barbara LaVallee captivating me as a young child when my mother would read it to me (it was also a favorite of hers). My Mom even found a doll for me like the one the little girl has in the story, and I’ve kept it ever since—she’s now incorporated into my bulletin board and is a reminder of how my love for books started. 

My mom has been gone for three years now, and while I still miss her, I also continue to look for reminders of her in the stories I love and share with patrons and colleagues. I consider my bulletin board a small way of honoring her memory and thanking her for setting me on a course of public service. It’s also in celebration of new littles joining our team. 

Story contributed by
Kate Knepper, Library Service Associate, Eiseley Branch Library