Library Lover’s Day

Today is a day that celebrates love, yes, but it’s also Library Lover’s Day on February 14, dedicated to book lovers across the globe. The day honors libraries and the amazing life-changing books they hold within them. Before you ask why libraries need to be celebrated, digest this fact — there was a time when libraries didn’t exist! The word ‘library’ is actually a Latin word that literally means ‘a place that stores books.’ Therefore, libraries were simply places appointed by the state to ‘stock’ books and important manuscripts for the longest time.

HISTORY OF LIBRARY LOVERS’ DAY

Library Lovers’ Day was initially started in Australia in 2006 by the State Library of New South Wales (NSW). The day became a national holiday in 2007 when the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) joined in on the campaign to promote their passion for books. Though the aim was to raise awareness regarding the services some great libraries offer, the day soon became one that provided solace to those who were ‘dateless’ on V-Day.

Today, Library Lover’s Day is celebrated internationally with a new theme every year! For instance, in 2018 Bond University’s John & Alison Kearney Library went all out and celebrated the day with a flashy display of a vintage typewriter, pens, and paper. The items were placed so visitors could write love letters to a special someone or their favorite library.

In 2019, ALIA introduced the theme ‘Library Love Stories,’ which also included a fictional story writing competition about finding love in the library. The same year, #LibraryLoversDay was also trending on Twitter. In 2020, the South Perth Libraries organized an event where people had to fill out a ‘Matchmaking Form’ and the library staff recommended the readers books and authors they may fall in love with based on their personality traits. Talk about a match made in heaven!