Libraries hold millions of stories. They can be found in books, magazines, video, and online. But librarians know- and often tap- into another source of unique, lesser-known stories: their patrons.
Erin Lorandos, librarian and returning poet, has started a new blog project that she hopes everyone will use. “Poetry in the Stacks” invites all patrons and librarians to stir up their creative juices to express their library experiences through poetry.
Lorandos joins us with information about her new project plus three poems that feature patrons that she has encountered, helped, and befriended. One of the patrons featured is a World War II veteran who did some research on a mission that he was on during the war. The reference conversation is a remarkable one that will be with Lorandos forever.
"That's the coolest thing about working in libraries: you never know who you are going to be able to talk to," says Lorandos. "And here I had this opportunity then to talk to this gentleman...who had this amazing experience in his life and was part of a mission that was so instrumental to us eventually winning the war against Germany."
