The first thing I did when I moved to Providence 45 years ago was look up the closest public library. Within days, I found myself at the information desk at Providence Public Library, equipped with my electricity bill for proof of residency, and registered for my library card. This is the most important thing I could have done when I got here. I have too many bookcases at home already, 11 of them to be exact, many six feet tall and stuffed to the gills. Filled with both first edition fiction and non-fiction, these bookcases are home to my greatest passion and favorite adventures – books.
As a child, I can remember the first report card that ever got sent home to my new adopted parents. It said I was a very poor reader. My mom went out and got all the Dick and Jane books she could get her hands on, followed up on all the recommendations my teacher had given, and made sure that I was put on the right track. Literacy has always been a critical issue for me, because it is impossible to thrive in this world without the ability to read and comprehend, and you never know where literacy can take you. I became intent on reading as much as I could, and my dad would take me to our local library every Saturday. At seven years old, after patiently waiting for what felt like a lifetime, I was eligible for my very own library card! My dad would have to remind me that, “you can’t read them all in one day! Take your time!”
My ultimate passion is the Providence Public Library, over all other branches. Because my parents took me to the library as a child I found myself working in that same branch my senior year in high school as my after school job. Books are getting more and more expensive, and I don’t like reading electronic books. The Library puts the world at your fingertips. If you don’t go to the library, you don’t have the same chances to learn and expand your knowledge using all the various programs PPL has to offer. With PPL being a privately funded library, no state money, that is why I have to donate to PPL instead of other libraries. It’s where my Providence life started, and it’s where my money will land. I’ve decided to include PPL in my estate plans because my family is going to be fine, they don’t need it, and I want to know that it will be dispersed amongst places where my library family will put it to it to good use. I am looking forward to retiring, at least part time, in a year, so I can devote more time to Providence Public Library.
Editor’s Note: PPL presented Jo with its first-ever “Happy Camper” award at the Library’s 2025 Savor the Story Gala.