So Long and Farewell, Stone Center

 It is with great sadness that I heard last night that the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books (The Stone Library) will be closing its doors for good. The last day for the public to come is next Wednesday, Dec. 19. The library has been a part of CGU's School of Educational Studies since 1962, and it has been a part of our lives since we moved here in 1986. Declines in patronage and use by the Teacher Education Program and a shift in academic emphases have "finally forced the question of long-term sustainability of the library," said the Dean of the School of Educational Studies in a letter to the CGU community.

My daughters grew up reading in this wonderful treasure of a library. We would come after nap times and spend a hour or so reading books and checking out a stack to take home. It's here where we first learned about Harry Potter and The Golden Compass books. Carolyn Angus, the library director, was always ready with some of the very best book recommendations that we had. We loved the new and used book sales, the friends we made and met in the cozy space.

Although I don't read many children's books anymore, I will certainly miss knowing that this very special place will no longer be there.

The first home we knew for this collection of the books was this building on 10th St.

A number of years ago, the library moved to its current location on College Ave.

Here is the room with picture books and I Can Read books.