Libraries: the silent partners in illiteracy

Ever hear of “Dial-A-Story”? The program at libraries where recorded stories are read to children when they call the library’s Dial-A-Story line? Do they have this in big cities? Well they do in Statesboro, and that’s what matters.

Any-hoo, just the other day I passed by the Library downtown and saw their sign for the Dial-A-Story with the number to call. I had a quick flashback to being little and calling that number over and over, day after day; just listening to every story they had, and then complaining to my parents when they started repeating the stories.

As I sat there in the car, I wondered aloud (which is totally different than talking to myself), “Do they really still have ‘Dial-A-Story’?”

Apparently they do. I was just forwarded a call that had Dial-A-Story on the other end. At first I thought I might have been put on hold, and was about to hang up the phone (no one calls me and then puts me on hold, damnit!), when I stopped and listened to what was on the other line.

“Holy crap! That’s ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’!”

Had it been anyone else that works here, they probably would have laughed and then hung up the phone in order to continue working. That’s not how I roll. I listened to the whole damned thing and then contemplated looking up the number for Dial-A-Story to listen to another one. But I didn’t. Instead I proceeded to go around telling everyone about it, writing this, and doing anything else I could to keep from being productive. Seems to have worked.

After getting confirmation that Dial-A-Story is still around, I’m wondering if it’s just the same old stories that they read when I was little, or if they’ve updated anything at all. I’m also wondering if they’re ever gonna do adult Dial-A-Story lines. Oh wait, they have those already. They just all start with “1-900”.


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Just in case you’re curious or feel like hearing a good story, I did go and look up the number for our Dial-A-Story: 912-764-1351. Yours may be different.