“When I am surrounded by books, I feel most at peace.” ~ Marjan Kamali, Novelist
Recently, my husband and I returned to the University of Oklahoma for my law school reunion. The University of Oklahoma Foundation provided wonderful activities for the event, including tours of its Bizzell and College of Law Libraries. Walking again among the thousands of books housed in these OU libraries brought, not only memories of my college and law school days, but a serenity I find from simply being around books…lots of books.
As a young girl, I never knew such peace because I was never around a lot of books. I remember my family having only a few books stacked among my mother’s knick-knacks on a single shelf in our living room. The small collection included a couple of do-it-yourself books that my father referred to during his many home projects and several volumes of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. So, my first introduction to a collection of literary materials wasn’t at home. It was at the libraries of the elementary schools I attended.
At first, spaces filled with volume after volume intimidated me. It was just too much information, too many stories, too many pages to read. I remember feeling overwhelmed in the third grade by my first book report assignment. How was I to select one book out of so many choices? A kind librarian suggested I look through the shelves containing books about animals. I saw a very large book about horses. I loved all the beautiful pictures of horses, with each chapter offering information on a different breed. When it was time for my class to check out our books, I wasn’t ready. I had spent so much time perusing the horse book that I had no choice but to check it out and use it for my book report. When I got back to class, I was worried. “I’ll never be able to read a book that long.” Then a solution raced across my mind. “Ah ha!” I thought. “I’ll use the horse book for my report, act like I’ve read the whole thing, but only write about the first chapter.” And that’s exactly what I did. My first library visit began in fear and confusion and ended in creative thinking and truth stretching.
As I continued my education, my comfort level with visits to the library grew along with the complexity of my school assignments. I soon realized that class trips to the school library weren’t just about how to complete a dreaded assignment. Library books and periodicals also provided information needed for research and their stories offered enjoyment. I could read about Amelia Earhart for a report about women pioneers. I could research topics like nuclear disarmament for debate tournament presentation. I could study the newest fashion trends for ideas to give my mom when sewing my clothes. Libraries opened a world beyond my family, my school, and my town. And that “opening” was blown wide open during my first trips to a large, metropolitan library.
My senior year English teacher assigned the class a term paper that required extensive research and authority. Since these were the days before easy internet research, that meant a trip to the largest library in our area—the downtown Oklahoma City metropolitan library, a forty-minute drive from my hometown. As I searched its aisles for materials on the life and writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald for my paper, a new feeling spread across me. I wasn’t feeling frantic in my search for resources. I was experiencing an excitement based on simply being in a large building filled with books. I paced the aisles, grabbed several Fitzgerald-related volumes, and sat at one of the many reading tables lining the library’s main floor. For the first time, my got-to-make-an-A, obsessive nature relaxed. I was surrounded by everything I needed. All I had to do was find that authority. So began the first of my many literary treasure hunts.
My fascination with libraries and their resources continued into college. My first two years took me to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on debate and academic scholarships. Its library became more than a place to research and study. It was also a place where my friends and I met in study groups to support each other’s learning. One memory involves my best friend and I spending hours in the NEO library in search of the answers to our take-home Anatomy and Physiology Class final exam. We combed the stacks for answers to the ten-page test and ended up scoring a 100% that led to final grades of A.
“The only thing you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” ~ Albert Einstein
The next step of my education involved going to the University of Oklahoma. My high school and junior college each had student populations of under 3000. Now I was at a university with a large campus with over 25,000 students. Thus, the words of Albert Einstein became especially important to me. I didn’t know which buildings housed my classes, but I did know where the library was located.
Education involves learning with libraries offering vital tools to achieve such learning. So, I started to feel comfortable in my new environment once I saw OU’s main library, the Bizzell Memorial Library. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, construction on the Cherokee Gothic building was completed in 1929. All I knew was the red brick façade was beautiful and its five stories of books amazing. Hours were spent wandering the Bizzell’s aisles in search of resources and authority to support my assignments. When I was awarded the title of “Woman of Distinction” during my senior year, it was appropriate that the related photo in the yearbook was taken in front of bookshelves in the Bizzell.
The next library to take a large place in my life was in OU’s College of Law. During my law school years, that library became my second home for researching and studying. It was located on several floors of the law school. My favorite spot was in a subbasement, where old book series were housed. I spent hours there studying for tests and for the bar exam. When I needed a break from studying, I would browse the shelves for books like ones from the 1800s that discussed women’s rights. It was worth breathing in the dust and mites to read the arguments for and against women’s suffrage years before enactment of the twentieth amendment.
“A house that has a library in it has a soul.” ~ Plato
After college, I began to read and collect books simply for enjoyment and self-improvement. And I had enough money to actually buy these books. Over the years, my collection has grown. Now those volumes are found in every room—in bookcases, under curio cabinets, on desks and tables, and on the shelves of a former-closet-turned bookcase. I’m not sure my collection rises to the level of being a “library.” But I hope my books provide my home its “soul” as Plato wrote. I know that simply being around books still gives me the same feeling of peace that I first found in libraries.
Although I buy books to add to my home collection, I still visit my local libraries. I love to check out books from many different genres. Children’s books inspire my own writing of middle grade novels such as Captain Con and the Red Jacket, soon to be released through Lawley Publishing. My current project is a YA fantasy book. To help me (and simply to enjoy a good read!) I can often be found in the Teen/Young Adult section of my library looking for the perfect fantasy book to read. Of course, I love many other categories of fiction including historical fiction, mysteries, and general fiction. And you can’t beat going back to the classics from time to time. My nonfiction interests are usually related to law or writing although I often study information connected to my fiction like sailing ships regarding Captain Con and the Red Jacket and Slavic mythology that forms the theme of the YA novel I’m writing.
“Libraries are the medicine chest of the soul.” ~ Inscription at the Library at Thebes
As “the medicine chest for the soul” as that ancient statement proclaims, libraries do so much for a community. They provide free access to literature, information, and technology. They are centers for learning and community connection. They have services that support everyone from the most vulnerable to the most resourced. We enter the world when we enter a library. It is difficult for me to understand why libraries and the librarians who guide them now find themselves under attack. Beloved books are banned. Cyberattacks are waged. Threats of violence are made against library staffs. The current federal administration has even issued an order that calls for the elimination of the nation’s only federal agency for America’s libraries. The American Library Association says this action is “cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer.”
Regardless of these attacks and challenges, I hope you visit your local library to find peace and purpose. I know I will!
© 2025, PortiaLily Taylor
PortiaLily Taylor 
I love the smell of libraries. Debi
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