Nancy Pearl, Library Legend

If you’re not a librarian, then the name Nancy Pearl probably doesn’t mean much to you. If you’re a librarian like the one hundred plus awake for a 7:30am breakfast to hear her speak then you understand.

Nancy is a fascinating woman with a twinkle in her eye. It just begs you to sit down and talk books with her. She’s not afraid to admit that the public library saved her life as a child. It was a place that made her feel safe and loved. She held the entire audience in the palm of her hand as we laughed, cheered, nodded in agreement, and hung on her every word.

At one point during her address, she spoke of her love of the Anne of Green Gables series and a librarian close to the podium shared her love, sharing with Nancy the details of the characters and the storyline. Nancy described her own reader’s vocabulary regularly mispronouncing words because she’s only ever read them. Or not taking the time to research what a word might mean, cause lots of confusion within the story. But, the funniest story had to be when Nancy mistook the stories she’s read in the past with her own memories. I don’t want to ruin this for you, but imagine a pale green tulle prom dress with a peplum top. A dress Nancy remembers well, just incorrectly!

She’s a down-to-earth person who believes in the power of the written word. She’s shared her passion for libraries and books through writing her own books, on radio and television, and in speaking engagements across the country. If your local library offers a One Book, One Community program, the idea was first Nancy’s implementing it in Seattle.

I probably could have sat and listened to Nancy speak for another hour this morning, she’s just that engaging. But, after her address, she was signing books and her action figure int eh conference store. I received her original action figure, a gift when I graduated with my Library Science degree. But with a new edition out, I couldn’t help but get it signed by a true champion of books.