How to Find Hope at the Library

Sarah Turnbull is a driven entrepreneur who has designed many building spaces, including her local library. She is also a mother. When she was 23-weeks pregnant with her daughter Blake, doctors told her that her baby has spina bifida. 

This news completely changed Sarah's world, as she was flown to Toronto for fetal surgery. Sarah was on bed rest for three months. After Blake was born, she had to spend 19 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Today, Blake and Sarah are doing much better, but the mother is thankful for the library being available during these difficult times.

“One of the things as a mother is you spend a lot of time with a child on you,” Sarah says, “It’s a good thing to have audiobooks available wherever you are. It’s good for when you’re feeding your baby or driving places like the children’s hospital.”

Finding these small comforts is important for families going through challenges. Hope shouldn’t be a luxury. A library is a place to discover small ways to unwind. Whether it’s streaming or on-demand services, programming, events, classes, or just good old-fashioned books, these things help us center ourselves when life seems chaotic.

“Libraries are connection points for new families and kids to get out of the house and do something,” Sarah says, “They are hubs that keep the community alive.” Watch Sarah talk about the ways she and Blake’s found hope as part of our #RPLStories below.

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