The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Library interview with Dr. Richard Merritt Susan Elliott Library Board Member The Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library board and staff for. are interested in exploring. the special place books, reading, sto- rytelling and libraries hold in the hearts of our communily mem- bers. The power of the written and spoken word, the enchant ment of libraries and childhood memories of tinte spent with books, creates a profound tapes- try of emotions und experiences. This questionnaire prompts introspection and reflection, offering a unique lens. through which to examine the bond be- tween readers and their connec- tion to books, storytelling and libraries, Watch this space for inter- views with an array of interest- it members. the-Lake Library questionnaire iswith local historian Dr. Rich- ard D. Merritt, the author of On Conimon Ground and Training Armageddon. ‘An ophthalmologist by profession, he has had alifelong interest in Niagara's history. He is currently writing a narrative biography of Six Nations Chief George Henry Martin John- son, Teyonhehkwen, father of celebrated poet Pauline John- son. In 2017 he was named a Living Landmark by the Niaga- ra Foundation for his contribu- tions to heritage preservation in Ni tea tead a book con- nected with my research, and at the same time something com- pletely unrelated. Right now it just happens to be Tecumsehs Bones (by Guy St-Denis. I just DISTRESS CENTRE KIDS HELP PHONE For depression, distress and crisis. 24 hour help line: RAE £00 |"774 4 Service for youth 416-586-5437 1-800-668-6868 finished Dead Mans Wake (by Paul Doiron), a murder mystery set in Maine: I'm also enjoying What I Wish I Said, by local anthor Jaime Watt, a columnist for the Toronto Star. The various chapters be- gin with what he wrote on a particular subject, followed by his ‘second thoughty about the from the Niagara area. Later I returned to my roots, prac- tised medicine and raised a family with my wife, the late Dr. Nancy Smith. 1 first became interested in local history as 2 young boy while visiting my great-great aunts and uncle i who lived in the family home in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and ASSAULTED WOMEN’S HELPLINE [Mobile calls to: CALE (hao they would fill my imagination with stories of the ald days. I have very early memories of my mother reading to mea little book with sewn words on Cloth pages called Three Little Kittens, Later, 1 was enthralled by my maternal reading out loud, The Adven- tures of Tom Sawyer and Huck- Finn as well as Treasure Island, When I started reading on my own I enjoyed Enid Bly- tons adventure books, and of course the Hardy Boys series. I especially remember Paddle to the Sea by Holling B. Hollings =, heal lover that bok and Istill do! I ai recall some books my father liked — the British Chum’ Boys Annuals, ly passed them on to me. They were big books, on cheap paper but they had some colourful illustrations and wonderful stories that boys could relate ta: Q. What do you remem- ber about going to the library? There was a large down- town library in London, Ont. However, 1 don't remember going to the library so much to take out books as there was a lending library in our public school. At about 12 years of age, an aunt gave me 4 fami- ly tree and that really: piqued ‘my interest in family and local history. 1 started visiting the local history section of the lo- cal library — the first af many such expeditions to reference libraries. in Canada and the United States since. Of course, the Internet. and digitized re- cords have revolutionized such Hollings of reading come from? I have to say that when I was growing up, the education over again, Hawever, when I got into. pre-med at U, 1 simply had no time to-read anything other than scientific/ medical textbooks through wo ad rion Cie. school education. Occasionally 19 lek op ome igh perback just for diversion, but quite simply I didn’t have time for casual reading, After 1 finally finished my formal éducation and became a practising ophthalmologist, I had a bit more time to pursue further my interest in the rich heritage of the Niagara area: In the meantime, my late wife, who was also an ophthalmol- ogist, joined a book cub She would come home with rec- ommendations which I would occasionally read as well. Q. What do you like about libraries? T use the interlibrary loan been extremely helpful. T have also spent many hours on our ‘Western wa has now digitized many of their ald microfilm tapesas well as many other records in their collection and these are now readily available on the Inter- net, which T can access at home. Continued on page 7