Book Review: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, Hanover Square Press 2020

Just like Ms. Komachi, every time I ask my readers coming into the library, “What are you looking for? What do you need?” I know the question is never just about books. It reaches beyond the information each book holds. It is a deeper, expansive question that can touch the reader in ways that ripple across their lives.

In this sense, the library becomes more than a place of borrowing; it transforms into an essential institution of the community, a space where people can find themselves or uncover new facets of who they are becoming.

If I were teaching in a Library and Information Science program, I would certainly make this book a required text. It beautifully illuminates the intersections of human interaction, meaning-making, and self-discovery that take place in the library; reminding us that the librarian’s work is not only about access, but about connection.

Rating: 5/5