In 1971, the children’s librarian at the newly opened library of Troy, Michigan, wrote to dozens of actors, authors, artists, musicians, playwrights, librarians, and politicians of the day, asking them to write a letter to the children of Troy about the importance of libraries and their memories of reading and of books. Here are some of the amazing responses she received.

The number of children reading ebooks has nearly doubled since 2010.

Worried about the future of books? Here’s what you can do.