Her loyalty to the written word has stayed true – her dedication unwavering in 20 years as a member, and now president, of the Friends of Wodonga Library.

Mrs Cawood spent Valentine’s Day buried between the aisles of her current favourites and in the company of fellow bookworms.

“I’ve got four children and eight grandchildren, so they come first,” she said.

“The older you get, the more you read different authors – my choice of books has changed over the years.

“Thousands of people enjoy reading and the library has changed so much in what it offers for people.”

Mrs Cawood’s love affair with reading began as a youngster and her taste transformed over the years.

“I used to read Georgette Heyer, an 18^th Century English author that wrote a number of books,” she said.

“I remember at school, The Secret Garden was my favourite book, and I liked Enid Blyton books in primary school – The Secret Seven and The Famous Five, which my grandchildren read now.

“At the moment I’m really into drama and murder such as Matthew Reilly, and there’s a lot of new Australian authors.”

“I love how reading takes you to a different place and you forget about everything else – you forget about mowing the lawns and weeding the garden, and you sit down and read.”

Wodonga Library services co-ordinator Meaghan Brown said a library card represented much more these days than a soft-spot for reading.

“As well as the lending of the books, we have a fantastic range of public programs from children’s story times to lego club and technology classes, right up to adults and seniors with our tech-savvy senior’s courses,” she said.

“It’s good to remind people we’re here and today is a chance to celebrate the role books do play in our community.”