When Linda Mitchell moved across the state, her main criteria for her new town was that it had to have a good library.  

“I’ve been a fan of libraries since I was a kid growing up in Chicago. To me, having a public library card was like having a free ticket to go anywhere I wanted to in the world. I always told myself that if I ever had to relocate, the first criteria would be whether the location had a good library.  With the Internet, we have knowledge at our fingertips within seconds, but there’s something special about being in the atmosphere of a library where others are seeking information, getting help with problems, and broadening their knowledge.” 

It was no surprise, then, when she decided to get involved – though she didn’t initially seek out the board. 

“It was a slight redirection. I was initially trying to join the Friends of the O’Fallon Public Library. Somehow, I found myself in an interview with the mayor for an open seat on the library board. I was happy to accept the role of a library trustee.” 

Not only does she help direct our library’s policies, but she is also a regular patron, and in fact, the very first person I ever saw hit our limit of 75 books. I was in awe. 

“My favorite thing is the way libraries work together as a system. As long as the resource I want to borrow is in the library system, I am not limited to the local library’s collection. That was a smart move for libraries to begin to work cooperatively with other libraries to meet the needs of patrons.  And, of course, I love that libraries are free! I know they aren’t free for everyone to check out materials, but no one is asking me to pay to enter, like they do at a museum. And speaking of money, the library has saved me tons of money over the years. There is no way I could afford to purchase every resource that I borrowed.“ 

You could, and probably should, say that reading and literacy are Linda’s passion. Her non-library life is filled to the brim with books with her past career as a teacher – and her amazing work with the Metro East Literacy Project that she founded! 

“I am the founder and executive director of the Metro East Literacy Project, a nonprofit organization that gives a bag of 25 books to families living in book desert communities. Our mission is to promote a culture of reading for family transformation. In a nutshell, that means a person can change their life and the outcomes of their family through reading. Our motto is ‘Literacy is Liberation! It Takes You Higher’. In addition, I am thrilled to substitute teach in the middle schools in O’Fallon and at the high school.  As a former teacher, I’m in my happy place when I walk into a school building.” 

To learn more about Ms. Linda and her work, you can visit www.metroeastliteracyproject.org or http://tinyurl.com/33nbcpwb to watch a 10 minute documentary about her called “The Book Lady.” And remember that Literacy is Liberation!