‘His eyes just got so wide’: 7-year-old amazed he can take home library books for free

A 7-year-old boy got a happy surprise at the Columbus Public Library on Wednesday when he realized that books could be taken home for free.

“Our hearts immediately fell in love,” said Jeannine A. Scott, circulation supervisor at the Columbus Public Library. “His parents were talking on the side and he came up and said, ‘Um, how much are the books?’ We said, ‘To take them home? They’re free.’ His eyes just got so wide, bright and shiny, in awe. And he said ‘Wooow!’”

“We go to the library all the time,” said his mother, Trenne Brown-Williams. “But when we do go, it’s always like the first time. He’s a very over-the-top kid. That’s just him, that’s just his personality and how he expresses himself.”

Zavien Brown-Williams even checked out his books all by himself with the library’s new electronic kiosk system. Scott says that even most adults need help using it for the first time, but Zavien just appeared with books and receipt in hand.

“This little guy just grabbed his books and library card and before we knew it he was already done,” she said.

Scott said heartwarming stories like Zavien’s happen all the time at the library.

“We see a lot of kids crying as they leave,” she said. “We had this one kid last year who just wanted to come to the library on his birthday. It was time for them to go, after story time, and he was just crying because he didn’t want to leave the library. And he had cake and presents at home.”

It’s just these examples that show how important the library can be for people, Scott believes.

“Not just kids, we had a 100-year-old woman come in to get her library card last week. It really shows how the library is for everybody,” she said.

This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 6:18 PM with the headline "‘His eyes just got so wide’: 7-year-old amazed he can take home library books for free."