Libraries Taught Kristen Arnett to Ask Questions

When Kristen Arnett was growing up, she was always begging to go to the library.

“I’d check out dozens of books, proudly showing them off to the person at checkout, and then I’d go home and just read for hours,” she says. “Once, I was talking to the children’s librarian and she asked me what my biggest wish would be. I told her that I really wanted to have a sleepover in the library, one where I could stay up all night reading whatever I want, and then wake up and keep reading in the morning.”

We asked Arnett, whose new novel Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One will be published by Penguin in March, about her favorite childhood books from those library trips. “So many!” she says. “As an early reader, I discovered The Baby-sitters Club series and my eyes were opened to the fact that I could write these kinds of stories, too. Books in series were so exciting to me; it allowed me to feel that the excitement would never end, that there would always be another book out there waiting for me.” She also loved L.M. Montgomery and especially her Anne books.

In addition to her love of public libraries, Arnett also loved school libraries. It was there that she found Matilda by Roald Dahl and later, Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison — the book that made her want to become a writer. Allison’s 1992 semi-autobiographical novel set in Greenville, South Carolina, is narrated by Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright and deals with the main character’s experience of abuse by her stepfather. Following Allison’s death from cancer in 2024, many news outlets republished interviews and articles about her books as well as her influence on literary and queer culture. (You can hear her 1992 interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air.)

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It’s no wonder Arnett grew up to become a librarian herself, given how deeply libraries have influenced and inspired her. When she was in her early twenties, she started working in libraries as a way to support herself and her son, who she had when she was a teenager. “I’d always been in love with libraries,” she says. “They were places full of books, sure, but also spaces where you could get answers to many hard questions. Libraries encourage asking questions about everything, which wasn’t encouraged in my very strict evangelical home.”

Arnett also values libraries as safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. “As someone who’s a third-generation Central Floridian and also a lesbian, libraries have completely shaped my life,” she says. “They’re places where you can go and be yourself while also seeking out information to learn more about how you want to continue to grow.” 

She also acknowledges the challenging and important work that all librarians have in her home state of Florida. “Library work is crucial here in the Sunshine State,” she says. “I am deeply proud of our librarians here, who have the incredibly difficult task of keeping these spaces safe while also fighting bans and unconstitutional laws that would limit access to information.”

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In today’s political and social environment, libraries serve so many important roles. Arnett points out that they are not only community hubs but also “spaces for people to come and spend time without needing to spend any money.” Much has been written about the decline of “third spaces” (for example, this 2024 article in The Week) — the places that are neither work nor home where people can go to relax. Libraries are great examples of “third spaces” that not only provide somewhere to hang out but also offer free ways to access information and learn new things. 

Arnett was a fellow of the Lambda Writers Retreat and says that libraries served as a great resource to her during that time while focusing on her writing. “Since I was working full-time as a librarian, it was deeply important to me — and very appreciated — that my fellow coworkers and my bosses understood how important this retreat was for my writing career,” she says. “They all supported and allowed me to take this time off and covered shifts for me, helping out with tasks that were not their own just so I could attend. I know that wouldn’t be the case in every job, but library work is more than work — it’s a calling.”

That calling isn’t an easy one, but it’s worth it. “Library employees are important cogs in the machine that powers community service,” Arnett says. “Whenever we lose one of those vital roles, it makes providing service that much harder. Library workers are special people who wind up taking on multiple jobs so that the library can always continue to function, no matter what! That’s incredibly important work and it’s true no matter what kind of library we’re discussing.”

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Arnett says that her own work at the reference desk has taught her to look for what she calls “the question under the question.” She says, “I am always trying to figure out what someone really needs versus what they’re telling me they want. I often apply this to my plot as I’m writing, looking deeply into what actually motivates the characters on the page.”

Working as a librarian has also deepened her research skills, which is often useful as a novelist. She has also learned to appreciate the unique relationship between readers and stories. “There are many different types of readers in the world, and all of them are wonderful,” she says. “Stories are important to everyone, but how they get told varies from person to person. It’s allowed me to appreciate the broad diversity of stories, yes, but also the myriad kinds of readers and what books most deeply impact them. Not everyone is my reader, but I am glad that there are so many different kinds of stories out in the world!”

Libraries are for everyone and have something for everyone. As Arnett says: “Libraries are always first and foremost about people.”