Carmelanna Ruggiero

"Everything from boarding the College streetcar to sitting on the floor at the library listening to the librarian reading us a great story was so exciting."

My first library field trip was in elementary school. I attended Clinton Street Public school in the 1960s. We attended regularly the Boys and Girls TPL branch at St George and College. Everything from boarding the College streetcar to sitting on the floor at the library listening to the librarian reading us a great story was so exciting! Signing out the books with my own library card made me feel so grown up!

My love of books and of reading was born then. I have a very soft spot for that branch. One of my grade school teachers, Miss Diane Watt, was instrumental in that love. At Christmas time she would have her parents show up as Santa and Mrs. Claus and we each received a wonderful novel. I was lucky enough to have had her as my teacher for grades 2, 3 and 4.