Young reader Helena, 8, flips through a book at the London Public Librarys Central Branch. Photo taken in London Ont. Oct. 23, 2019. CHRIS MONTANINILONDONERPOSTMEDIA NEWSjpg, LD

Remember reading your favourite book over and over as a kid?

Or curling up with the latest young adult novel as a teen?

Now imagine not having moments like those to remember.

Thousands of young readers in London are given the opportunity to make those memories through the London Public Librarys A Book for Every Child campaign. And this year, the number of kids needing a chance to hold their own book for the first time has dramatically increased.

Colleen Harris, the librarys manager of fund development, said more than 40 social agencies and schools will help the library provide 6,000 books for babies, children, and teens this December and beyond. Its overwhelming. We have more inquiries from more agencies, she said.

Its not uncommon for a community support organization or school to request several hundred books once the library begins promoting its annual campaign. As a result, organizers have decided to focus on the financial goal needed to fulfill all the requests this year. That goal is $18,000, compared to $16,000 last year.

This is the first year we are communicating the dollar goal, said Harris.

Colleen Harris, London Public Librarys manager of fund development, is encouraging Londoners to donate to this years A Book For Every Child campaign.CHRIS MONTANINIjpg, LD

In the past, people have purchased books and donated them. While Harris doesnt want to discourage that practice, she said the library can leverage its buying power to provide more books with monetary donations.

Families get excited about picking books, said Harris. (But) we get special discounts as a library and can buy more books.

Plus, special requests for specific types of books can also be addressed through librarians expertise.

People pick books they loved as a child, said Ellen Hobin, the librarys manager of communications. They dont necessarily reflect this years children were serving.

For example, multi-lingual, Indigenous, and niche ages and reading levels can be matched with the perfect book by librarians.

They pick each book one by one, said Harris. They are able to come up with titles and authors you might not think of. They are curated specifically for that child. We work closely with agencies and schools to determine which child receives which books.

Books for specific age groups, language groups, or specific needs, such as potty-training books, are requested. Often donors want to give back a book they enjoyed as a child but Hobin said multiple copies of a classic book are sometimes difficult to distribute while requests for popular graphic novels, for example, go unfulfilled.

You cant make kids read a book they dont want, Hobin said. With the increasing need, the library can leverage financial donations even if they arent big ones A little goes a long way.

Harris and Hobin suggest Londoners mark a special occasion, such as a birthday, with a donation, or honour a teacher at holiday time.

Donations can be made online or in person at any library branch. Participating book sellers are offering a 20 per cent discount on books that are picked up by Friends of the Library volunteers.

Indigo has partnered with the campaign this year, providing two special fundraising evenings with 20 per cent of all eligible sales donated to A Book For Every Child.

As a parent, I cant get over how many children dont have books and that number is rising, said Hobin. Being able to read a book over and over again thats when learning happens.

Harris attributes the increased need to the broader poverty trends London seems to be experiencing.

A lot of families are struggling, she said. We take literacy for granted. But if youre struggling with housing, food and child care, this is something that does not come to most. Were filling that void.

Janis Wallace is a London-based freelancer writer.

wallace.comms@gmail.com

A Book for Every Child

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Library asks for financial donations to this year's A Book For Every Child campaign - Londoner