The Café Book program is a thriving partnership between the Central Rappahannock Regional Library and area schools. As we close our fourteenth year of encouraging middle school students to enjoy reading, the Library is pleased and honored that support for Cafe Book has recently been expressed through a generous donation from the Carver family in memory of their mother Ruth--middle school librarian, literacy advocate, and lover of reading. One of our staff members, Sheryl Sinche, shares these reminiscences.
“I followed Ruth Carver as the librarian at Gayle Middle School. She had been at Gayle for 12 years and was very protective of the library that she was about to ‘hand over’. Ruth really grilled me about authors and the ‘right to read’ before she gave her approval of me to the principal. She had a grand sense of humor and was more well-read than I will ever be. We kept in contact for quite a few years after she retired. Ruth visited Gayle in her sporty red car during book fairs and often stopped in to chat about award-winning books. Ruth always had an opinion and was eager to share her thoughts about young adult authors. She was a passionate 1st Amendment defender, a staunch supporter of women’s rights and a life-long reader and writer. I am so pleased that her family gave support to the Café Book program. They knew just what to do to honor Ruth.”
