For one day, the Librarian of Congress was a 4-year-old
To say Daliyah Marie Arana is a bibliophile is an understatement — the 4-year-old from Georgia has already read more than 1,000 books by herself.
On Thursday, her dream came true when she was named Librarian for the Day at the Library of Congress. She shadowed Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, and even got to sit behind her fancy desk. About two years ago, Arana's parents signed her up for Georgia's 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, and she quickly made her way through all sorts of tomes, including college texts. Arana was invited to the Library of Congress after her mother, Haleema, sent an email, asking how she could make the most of her daughter's experience at the library. "She just kept saying how the Library of Congress is her most favorite, favorite, favorite library in the whole wide world," she told The Washington Post.
Last year, Arana told the Gainesville Times she wants to be a librarian so she can help others. "I like to check out books every day," she said. "And I want to teach other kids to read at an early age, too."
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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