This is Hailey Fisher's submission to the Centennial essay contest when she was three. Her mom writes, "She loves the library! She also likes to draw suns and the letter 'H.''!"

​My favorite thing about the library is the summer reading program because
you get to read, and you get awesome prizes. I also really like the library because I
get some of my favorite books like Fablehaven. It is a long book, but I like the
book anyways. I also like the book Harry Potter because it is interesting how he
flies on a broom stick. And how he fought Voldemort. I really like hearing them
fight and I like to see all the characters and when they do cool stuff. When they
talk and walk and run, and how they live. I like to hear about their plans so I know
what they are doing. But sometimes it does not go as planned but it does not
matter. I also like when Harry Potter did the giant chess game. It’s cool when they
tell the chess pieces to go forward the chess pieces will move forward. I also like a
lot of other of books. I like to read adventure books and mystery books. In the car
I really like books on tape. I like to listen to other people read the story because I
love to hear really cool voices. I also like to know what the people in the book are
thinking of, like if they are feeling happy or sad or scared. I love to find new make
believe and not make believe books. This is why I love the library. The end

​This summer I went to the magical world of FableHaven. Explored the perilous grounds
of Wyrmroost. I went on adventures with my new friends, Kendra and Seth. We discovered new things together and found interesting creatures. I befriended fairies and satyrs. Fought daring battles with trolls, ferocious dragons, and deadly demons. Soaring through the air on a majestic griffin, wind wildly blowing my hair in my face. Feeling all the adrenaline. I traveled the whole world, seeing and discovering new things. Going to hundreds of unique places. I explored gloomy caves and climbed steep cliffs. I went to Hogwarts, learned spells, and mixed special potions. Excelled at Quidditch, winning several games flying on a sleek, wooden broom. I especially enjoyed going to Hogsmeade, stopping at all the different shops. I could almost taste the creamy butter beer. All of these adventures were possible because of the books I read at the Madison Library.

My favorite thing about the Madison Library is the Summer Reading Program. I like it
because when you read books, you can mark off your reading log and then go to the library and get cool prizes. I love it when we get coupons to go to fun places and get yummy treats. The Summer Reading Program makes it a lot more fun to read during the summer. Especially when you have an amazing library where you can easily check out good books! The Summer Reading Program at the Madison Library is awesome. Reading helps me expand my imagination and takes me on exciting adventures!

The Reading Walkers
By Amy Walker
You know how there’s always that one “deal breaker” when you’re playing the dating game—a qualification that the potential “other” must meet before they enter into that status of “significant”? For me, it was that he needed to be a good storyteller. Specifically, he had to be a good children’s literature storyteller.
I wasn’t going to have the future father of my children not

1. love children’s stories, and
2. bring a story to life.

So, when this “potential” jumped at the chance to sit in the Madison Library children’s section and read picture books with me, he quickly advanced into the “significant other” domain.
We sat there, in our cushioned chairs reading out loud, creating voices for the characters. We were laughing or crying, and when we did both in one story, we knew it was a keeper. And I could see that he was a keeper too. Ten weeks after our first date we were married. And almost ten years later, here we are creating similar memories with our children in the Madison Library.
The library is a treasure trove to my family. The books seem to whisper from all corners of the building, and my children follow their calls. Their little shoes scuffle ever so gently against the carpeted floors, trying desperately to heed my well-known rule of “walking feet in the library.” Their eager eyes scan every section, and their fingers caress the spines as we slowly float by.
 It’s hard to choose just a few—which is why is why we end up leaving with a backpack so full of books that it would put Santa’s own bag to shame. It was early on in my motherhood career that I started using a backpack on wheels for our trips to the library. But we still often end up leaving with the bag bursting and little arms toting such a tower of treasures that only sparkling eyes are left visible, peeping out overhead.
My husband and I still go to the library for date nights sometimes. I suppose you could say it’s where our family began. And as our family continues to write our story, we will continue to read the stories here at Madison Library.

Reading is something I have always enjoyed. I love diving into the adventures and conspiracies of both Fiction and Non-Fiction books. Not only is reading fun to do, but it is also good for people to read. Reading books reduces stress, increases knowledge, improves comprehension, and expands vocabulary. It even boosts our critical thinking and improves our problem-solving skills. The Madison Library District supports and encourages kids to read books so they will become more happy, intelligent people.

One of my favorite things about the Madison Library District is that they support reading during the summer. Every summer, the library puts a lot of work and effort into the Summer Reading Program. This program encourages kids, teenagers, and even adults to read during the summer. It makes reading even more fun and exciting. I love all of the fun prizes and coupons that we can earn by reading a certain number of pages.

Over the summer, my family went on many trips. Sometimes, car rides can get very chaotic. Before we go on any trips, we always go to the Madison Library and get an audio book. My family and I have really enjoyed listening to books while we are traveling. We listened to the whole Fablehaven series and almost the whole Dragonwatch series. Without the public library, our road trips would have been very boring. I am very grateful for all of the audio books the library has.

One of my least favorite things when it comes to reading is having to wait until I can read the next book in the series. Then, one day, I heard that the Madison Library District has Speedy Reader Kits! I thought that this was the most brilliant, amazing idea ever that the whole entire series is in one bag. No more waiting for someone to turn in the next book in the series so I can check it out!

The Madison Library District puts a lot of their effort and time into the activities, contests, clubs, and events for all ages. I think these activities are really cool. To me, these activities show me that the library is a safe, friendly, and positive environment where people both old and young can increase intellectually and become better people. The vibes that I get when I walk into the library are positive, calm, and happy. I love how organized the library is. Finding books is simple. All you need to know is the last name of the author. If someone can’t remember the author, they can always look it up on one of the two computers available for looking up books on the website. I am also glad that the library has a website. I like being able to see what books are available. It is also really awesome to be able to put books on hold.

​To me, the Madison Library District is a place where I can go to read and check out books. The library is where people can go to get free access to a wealth of knowledge that is difficult to find elsewhere. The library has encouraged me and many others to read. I am very thankful for the Madison Library District and for everything it has done for the community. 

When I think of the Madison library, I think of how helpful the staff are. Without them I would not know half the stuff I know. In this essay I will share my personal experiences with members of the staff and how they helped me to write my forthcoming history of the library distract.

One day at the library, I was searching the shelves for a book to read. I found a book on the Boise Public Library District's history, but decided it wasn't the right one because I wasn't interested. But it got me thinking; what if the Madison Library District had a similar history? So, I did the one thing I knew to do: ask a librarian. When I asked Courtney about it, she directed me to "Madison Best Remembered," a book on the history of Madison County. It only touched briefly, on the library so I thought, "Why don't I write a history of the Madison library?"

I started by basic observation. I believe that by looking at the contents of a building (pictures, plaques, murals, etc.) you can get a good idea of a building's history. After looking through the library, I had just that: a good idea of the building's history, but I needed to learn more. I asked Cheryl if she could guide me to more resources. She directed me to the library's website, which had a history of the library on it. This sent me on an internet rabbit hole on the library's history, which led me to articles and a blog on the library's expansion of 2009-10, though most of the photos were missing.

At this point, the history that I knew spanned 1921-2010, so there were no documents covering the years from then to the present. When I asked Gina about this, she suggested I talk to Valerie.

Around this time Vivian passed away. I didn't have a lot of experience working with her since she was over the children's books, but when I was looking through the library blog, i found this:

"In order to get the water pipes in the correct places for the new sprinkler system, the construction company had to knock a hole in the southwest corner of the existing building. This hole just happened to coincide with our Young Adult section of the library. Vivian, our Children's and YA Librarian, moved and rearranged all the books in that corner in order to accommodate the construction. It was quite an effort on her part, and she did a tremendous job!"

After Vivian's funeral I was able to talk with Valery. She mentioned records that the library had in storage and she helped me look through them. Valery told me they would have to be digitized, so I put the effort on pause until they were.

Recently, I was taking to Rebekka about the project and about the construction blog with the missing photos. She then told me of how the library has photos stored on their computer.

​During this three-year journey, the help from the library staff has been constant and supportive. Without them my work-in-progress history would never come to fruition. Despite my young age, I feel like I have a wonderful team backing me up.

            My Grandma Helen was always reading, and nine times out of ten, it was a book she had gotten from the Madison County Library. Being a school teacher from the hills of Kentucky, she wanted to instill the value of reading in her children and grandchildren. In the late 1990’s - early 2000’s, specifically during to the summer time, my brother and I could be found spending a day at the library with her, signing up for the Summer Reading Program, finding books that interested us, and making memories.

         I didn’t start out a great reader, but Grandma Helen made sure that I always had access to the library if I wanted to be one. Knowing that she would always be willing to take me to the library anytime I wanted to go, I began finding the books that I knew I could finish within the checkout time frame and exploring the worlds available to me through books.  I was always nervous to renew a book in case there was another person that wanted to read it and I was taking too long. But as the years went on and I began to find a reading pattern that suited my needs, the library became a sanctuary that I could find myself in, and it didn’t matter how long it took me to read the books available. 
We lived close enough that I could walk or even ride my bike to the library on good days. Some times after school, at the “Old Junior High” (now the school district office), I would walk there to finish up some research or pick out a new book to read that I couldn’t find in the school library. If they didn’t have the book I was looking for, the librarians were always so nice in getting it from another library in the network for me.

            The Summer Reading Program always had the best prizes. From small trinkets to ice cream cones to much more. There was always something available that would spark the interest of a growing child to read. It took a few years before I was comfortable enough with reading to be able to get the prizes I wanted, but when I did, it was like I had made a huge life accomplishment equivalent to “graduating high school” in my mind.

         My father tells me stories of growing up and studying at the library. He tells the tale of the “old blue-green rock library” that was build new in the 1960’s were his elementary school teachers would take his classes to visit the children’s section that was located in the basement.  That library was destroyed by the Teton Dam Flood in 1976 and the current library was built to replace it.  The “new library” was the favorite spot for his nerdy school “gang” with the North-East corner always being the optimal spot to study. He would even take us kids to the favorite spot to read in the winters, if he had a day off. Another favorite spot of mine was by the fire place, snuggled up with a book, getting lost in the warmth.

         I found that the librarians were always patient while listening to a young girl ramble on about all the books she was checking out. Valarie and many others always had the best recommendations and the biggest smiles. Even though they see so many people, I always felt like I was the most important person that the librarians had talked to that day.

       When I moved out of state for college, I went to the local library in my new town, looking for the same feeling that the Madison County Library always provided. I was disappointed that it didn’t feel the same. Sure, I still had the same access to the same books and still had amazing adventures in the pages, but it wasn’t home. One of the first things I did when I moved back to Rexburg was make sure that my library card was still active.

          I don’t make it in to the library as often as I would like to with work and responsibilities now. It’s hard to make time in this hectic, modern world for the things that we love.  It is a goal of mine for the new year to come, to see the inside of the library more often. The Madison County Library services many people, but it will always be a part of me, no matter the changes that it or I may face. This is one of the few places that I will keep as dear in my heart as my Grandma Helen once did when she was alive. I will always hold my Madison County Library Card so that my grandmother can be proud of the person I am and the love I have for books that she helped cultivate when I was five years old.  A fond place brings fond memories.  The Madison County Library does that for me.