Librarians are the lifeblood of any library. They keep the stacks well organized, assist people in finding the media they need, and many also conduct research. Without librarians, libraries would be just buildings full of books, media, and computers. For all they do, they deserve a day to celebrate their achievements, and fortunately, there is one: a holiday called National School Librarian Day, observed on April 4th every year.

The History Of Libraries

Unfortunately, we were unable to uncover the origins of National School Librarian Day, so we concentrated our efforts on researching the origin of libraries. During our research, we found some interesting things that we’re going to discuss.

The first libraries appeared approximately 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia’s Fertile Crescent. This area includes Mesopotamia and extends to the Nile in Africa. Known as the Cradle of Civilization, it is also where writing first began. Libraries began to pop up around this time in Egypt and Asia. In the 4th century, some of the first libraries in Greece began, along with great schools of philosophy. The idea of storing collections of tablets, scrolls, and other forms of written information continued to spread throughout the world.

In the U.S., the first modern library that was taxpayer-supported was the Peterborough Town Library in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 1833. However, this library was quite small compared to the Boston Public Library, a larger taxpayer-supported library that opened in 1854.

Interesting Facts About Libraries

As we researched National School Librarian Day, we came across some very interesting facts that we will now share with everyone.

• There are over 17,500 libraries in the U.S.
• Americans check out about 8 books every year.
• College libraries receive less than 3% of the money spent on higher education.
• Almost two-thirds of public libraries assist patrons with job applications.
• Over a third of libraries offer workspace for mobile workers.
• Over two-thirds of public libraries offer online health resources.
• Over 95% of public libraries provide online homework assistance.
• Over 95% of public libraries also provide summer reading programs.
• Research shows that students who have access to well-staffed libraries are the highest-achieving students.
• Americans spend 22 times more on home video games than they do on library materials for their children.

Observing National School Librarian Day

The best way to observe this holiday is to thank the librarian at your local library for all that they do. People observing this holiday should also use the hashtag #NationalSchoolLibrarianDay on their social media accounts to let everyone know they are celebrating this holiday and to thank librarians all over the world for what they do.