Frances Moloney: an ode to the transformative power of the library - Peters
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Frances Moloney: an ode to the transformative power of the library this #LibrariesWeek

October 3rd 2022

Guest Blogger: Frances Moloney

Born and raised in London, England, Frances Moloney spends her time between her home in London and stints in Sweden and Cornwall, where she studied English and Creative Writing. You will find her usually reading, running, or practising yoga - though not a the same time! She has worked in the world of books for over ten years.

This Libraries Week, author Frances Moloney details the impact of libraries on her formative years and how her love for libraries influenced the writing of her debut novel, The Mystery of the Missing Mum.

When did you fall in love with libraries?

My love of libraries, reading and storytelling was instilled in me from a very young age. From weekly trips to our local to venturing further afield to the central library, where I discovered there were even more books to explore, libraries were a portal, a gateway into the transformative power of words. Whatever your background, they gave you free access to an unlimited wealth of knowledge, information, and experiences. 

Growing up in the nineties, before the rise of the internet and the invention of smartphones, a trip to the library was (and still is) a magical, life affirming experience. It was an invitation to explore new worlds, a chance to learn about different cultures and the lives of people that were very different from your own and opened my eyes to the boundless possibilities of creativity and the power of the imagination. It allowed me to dream BIG, to envisage a future bursting with opportunity, and gave me access to words, which were the tools with which I could learn to express these ideas.

Could you tell us a bit more about your relationship with libraries when you were a child?

 

When I was a child, the library offered endless escapism, all neatly wrapped up and given to me within the warm, comforting embrace of its walls. A trip to the library presented a small child with a unique opportunity; whilst I was there, I could be anyone I wanted to be and become lost in endless new worlds for hours at a time. I would run my hands over countless shelves lined with colourful spines, wondering what wonderful stories were to be found when I finally picked one up, peeled open the cover and took a peek inside. And whichever story was waiting for me within those pages, it would be sure to take me on a new and exciting adventure towards an unknown and sometimes surprising conclusion. I would always learn something different from every book I read, a nugget of information that would, unbeknownst to me at the time, also help to guide me on my journey outside of the library’s walls.

What about other people? What have libraries done for other people in your life, and beyond?

  

Our local library was a community hub. It was a place for people to gather, to learn, to study and keep warm. It was somewhere I often visited with my mother, another great lover of literature and libraries, and who was one of the inspirations for my debut novel, The Mystery of the Missing Mum. As someone who suffered from a serious mental health condition, the library offered her sanctuary and solace, a safe space that was free from the judgement and scrutiny of wider society.

The Mystery of the Missing Mum portrays the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child, and it is these small, routine, seemingly mundane moments in life, such as a weekly trip to the local library, which play such an important role in these early relationships. I sometimes wonder if the main character in my novel, Jake, would be so curious, ambitious, and inquisitive if it wasn’t for all those trips to the library, both imaginary and real.

Final (big) question: do you think libraries played a role in inspiring you to be a writer?

I remember the excitement of receiving my first library card; running down the ramp into the children’s library to take out the maximum number of books allowed, before devouring them all, only to begin the same cycle all over again the following week. Would I have become a writer without this formative experience? It’s an impossible question to answer but I strongly suspect it would have been a lot less likely. Having unlimited, free access to the greats of children’s literature, such as Malorie Blackman and Jacqueline Wilson, and to additively compelling series, like The Babysitters Club and Nancy Drew, and everything in between, opened my eyes to the world hidden beneath a book’s covers and I’ve never looked back since…

 

The Mystery of the Missing Mum by Frances Moloney
Read this entertaining and heartfelt debut from Frances Moloney this Libraries Week.

 

Peters: Supporting Libraries

Peters offers a range of services for both school and public libraries. From supplier selection for public libraries and bespoke book selections for schools by our qualified curriculum specialists, to book jacketing and labelling and our free library design consultation service, we can help transform your library or reading space.

         

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