At 9-years-old, Jacob, an individual supported by MARC, got his first public library card and discovered his passion. From reading Curious George at night with his mom to visiting historical public libraries across the country, Jacob discovered a richness in literature and history. “Libraries have a lot more to offer than I thought,” said Jacob.
Jacob currently works for a local library as an assistant where he is responsible for creating book displays, shelving books, and helping out guests when needed. “I also like to help people. I like to work with others and I’m proud to be a part of the library team,” said Jacob.
However, with Jacob’s outgoing personality, he wanted to continue helping others while spreading happiness and inspiration. It took one post for his content to go viral.
“I made this post a few months ago of me in front of a book display I made, which was for the September 2024 book display for National Literacy Month and National Read a book day.”
A simple post about Jacob’s pride of working with libraries generated not only publicity but positivity. “Thank you for all you do”, “You’re literally cradling the world’s knowledge”, and “You’re a hero” are just some of the thousands of comments Jacob’s post receives.
With over 500k reposts on Reddit (ILovePublicLibraries) and 23k followers on Facebook (Everything Libraries), Jacob has built a vibrant and passionate community thanks to his deep love for libraries.
When asked about what is Jacob’s main goal with his content, he explained, “[I want to] share inspiration, wherever that comes from, funny memes, or whatever I think is cool. [I post] for laughs and inspiration.”
What started as a simple post of passion about the love of books quickly turned into a story about an individual's desire to spread inspiration and happiness. Jacob is a shining example of pursuing your goals regardless of the circumstances.
