Erin's Literary Heritage Timeline

Timeline created by la_bibliofille in Personal

Timeline Text view

Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
02/14/1981	A reader is born!	At 3:29 am on Valentine's Day, 1981, a future librarian enters the world.
02/15/1981	Reading aloud	My parents started reading aloud to me almost from the moment I was born. Every night before bed, I would have several stories. I remember that one of my favorites was a Mother Goose book, because the pictures for "Polly Put the Kettle On" always made my mom laugh, and that would make me giggle too.
03/01/1981	Gift from Godparents	My godparents, Carol and Terry, give me a copy of "The Velveteen Rabbit" after I am born. This is still one of my favorite picture books.
01/01/1984	I learn to read!	Around age 3-4, I've got my alphabet down and start learning how to sound out letters and words. There's no turning back now! Soon the common complaint in my family is that I'm not listening to anything they say because I've got my head buried in a book.
04/28/1984	A family of readers is complete!	The last of the three biggest influences on my reading life is born - my sister Kara. I helped teach her how to read, just like my parents did for me when I was little. I loved being able to introduce her to books! This picture shows my parents and Kara on her wedding day.
02/14/1986	First library card!	Youtube video about storytimes at the Bismarck Public LibraryI am old enough to get my first library card from the Bismarck Public Library in Bismarck, ND. The picture shows the newly renovated children's section at this library. I still miss the big beanbag chairs up in the loft area!
12/01/1988	Ramona Quimby	The Ramona books by Beverly Cleary are some of my favorite books during this time. I especially love the scene from "Ramona and her Mother" where Ramona squeezes an entire tube of toothpaste into the sink. I really want to try it too, but I know I would get in trouble with my parents!
01/01/1990	I read my favorite children's book for the first time	This is the year that I discover Ellen Raskin's "The Westing Game", which quickly turns into my favorite children's book. I still have the tattered copy that I begged my parents to buy for me!
03/24/1991	A starring role!	I am cast as Mrs. Bradley in my 4th grade class play based on "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". It's the first time I've ever participated in theater based on a book, and it makes a lasting impression on me, despite my stage fright!
04/30/1991	Babysitter's Club mania	During this year, I discover The Babysitter's Club series. I love reading about Kristy, Stacey, Claudia, Maryanne, and all of the other girls. Soon, I am spending a good chunk of my allowance to buy each new book, and I ended building a large collection. This is the memory I turn to whenever I help a kid who is hooked on a series today.
01/01/1992	Visiting Claudette Hegel	My family goes several times over the years to visit my parents' friend, Claudette Hegel. Claudette is a writer who focuses on Newbery and Caldecott winners, and she has a basement full of all the winners and honor books from each year. I love spending time at her place, curled up with a great book!
07/17/1993	Creative writing class	I take a summer creative writing course at the local high school. I am so excited when one of my poems is chosen to be printed in the newspaper! It's about how gross school lunch is ,(something every kid can relate to), and I wrote it on a brown paper lunch sack.
06/01/1994	Volunteering at the library	Ames Public Library websiteOver my summer vacation, I begin volunteering at the Ames Public Library in Ames, Iowa. Although my volunteer duties don't include anything too complicated, I love my time at the library and eventually win a community service award for volunteering over 200 hours.
09/25/1995	Mr. Davidson	My 9th grade gifted and talented teacher, Mr. Davidson, introduces the class to classics such as Animal Farm and Romeo and Juliet. He gives us a list of 100 classics that everyone should read, and I make it my goal to finish all the books on the list. (I still have it, and am over halfway through at this point.)
05/25/1996	Girl Scout Silver Award	During my last year in Girl Scouts, I am given the Silver Award for the work I did in reading the Little House on the Prairie books aloud as part of a project to make them accessible to visually handicapped children.
04/08/1997	I find my favorite adult book	When I am 16, I read my favorite book for the very first time. It's "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, a book I've read many times since then.
03/01/1998	I learn to love short stories	My AP English III class does a short story unit, and two stories in particular catch my attention (Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner"). This experience is the start of my interest in short story collections.
09/10/1999	Freshman Writing with Dr. Torvend	I take a freshman writing class during my first semester at college. The topic is Literature of the Pacific Northwest, and both the class and professor have a huge impact on me. One of my most memorable class activities is eating dinner in a tatami room and talking to a Japanese American man who was assigned to an internment camp during WWII during our reading of David Guterson's "Snow Falling on Cedars".
01/11/2000	Working at the archives	Storycorps interview with Kerstin Ringdahl take a job working for the archives in the Mortvedt Library at Pacific Lutheran University during my freshman year. My job involves helping create the Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection database by examining primary source material and summarizing it for the database. My boss, Kerstin Ringdahl, did an interview with NPR's Storycorps about the project and her experiences.
01/03/2001	Who's this Harry Potter, anyway?	I study abroad in London, England, and while there I notice that everyone is read the Harry Potter series. I didn't like science fiction or fantasy books much as a kid, but I decide to give Harry Potter a try and buy a copy of the first book (titled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in the British version). This amazing book teaches me that I need to be much more open-minded about these children's genres!
06/20/2004	Moving with Anna Karenina	I read the entirety of Anna Karenina while in a U-Haul moving from Washington state to Iowa. My dad politely declines my repeated offers for me to read aloud to him. He's less of a classics and more of a thriller fan. :-)
08/01/2007	My first library job!	Stillwater Library websiteI accept a part-time position as a children's library assistant at the Stillwater Public Library in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I find out that I love working in libraries just as much as I love visiting them! The picture is the storytime room at the library where I led evening family storytimes.
10/01/2007	My first major author event	I meet Bill Bryson, one of my favorite authors, when he comes to Des Moines, IA to give a reading from his new memoir, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt KId". After getting the chance to talk to him, I am hooked on meeting authors!
06/04/2008	Start working at Cary Library	Wake County Public Libraries websiteAfter a move across several states, I begin my new job working at the Cary Library in Cary, NC (where I currently am today). My new job offers many new experiences for me, including the chance to work with everyone from ages 0-100, leading children's book clubs, and being able to get great ideas from other coworkers in the 20-branch Wake County Public Library system.
01/01/2009	I join Goodreads	Goodreads websiteI join the website Goodreads.com in January of 2009. It has been a great tool for me not only to keep track of my own reading, but to use in doing reader's advisory for kids, teens, and adults.
02/14/2009	Celebrating 28 with War and Peace	For my 28th birthday, I decide to tackle reading War and Peace. I love the classics, but this is the longest book I've ever read. I feel a sense of accomplishment making it through almost 1400 pages!
01/05/2010	I start my MLIS program	After considering it for a while, I make a decision to go back to school and earn an MLIS degree, with the hope of becoming a children's librarian in a public library. Right now, I've got one more year to go toward that goal!
12/25/2011	My first e-reader!	I get a Nook Color for Christmas. The times, they are a-changin'! The first ebook I read is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.
Timespan Dates:	Timespan Title:	Timespan Description:
02/14/1981 to 02/14/2012	A reader's life