cam co resident: matt nolder's #mycameroncounty story

​“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure
Island.”— Walt Disney

Being the virtuoso of magical delight, the genius behind the mouse, and the creator of dreams and adventure alike, Disney made such a true and incredible statement! To me, books are more than mere ink, paper, and binding. They are truly the world’s greatest treasure more valuable than silver or gold. As you open a book, you’re rewarded with an opportunity to enter a new world where journeys, new friends, and ​memories await around every corner and every page. Like a true friend, a book will never let you down, it’ll comfort you when life becomes too overwhelming, and it’ll provide you an escape from the everyday!

As a young boy, I learned to love books because of the adventures that awaited me when I opened to Page 1. But, books provided me with even greater experiences. As a person, I’ve always been very shy and introverted, and it’s always been hard to be myself around other people. Sometimes the Matt Nolder that people see is not the Matt Nolder that I would wish them to see. This is probably why I love books so much! Because by reading a book, I no longer have to be myself. I can transform into another character and live the story with a whole new set of friends! 

"More importantly, my love for books was inspired by my visits to one of my favorite places (out of many) in Cameron County-The Barbara Moscato Brown Memorial Library."

This is why I appreciate the library so much. It meets this goal 100% and it makes it such an awesome asset in Cameron County! But the
library means far more to me than this. Some of the best moments I had as a boy took place at the library! It was here that I took part in reading
programs which allowed me to read new books and take part in exploring new worlds. Not only that, I would have never considered working as a librarian aide while attending college if it hadn’t been for my hometown library. Furthermore, my most favored skill/trait is my imagination. Imagination has truly been a blessing! Not only has it helped me to come out of my introverted shell. But it has also been useful in developing my own stories, creating my characters while performing in plays, and building myself up as a young man dedicated to sharing my passion for books with the next generation. I’ll always be grateful to the Barbara Moscato Brown Memorial Library and Cameron County for providing me with such a treasure trove that I’ll always cherish! What I love about Cameron County is that it prides itself on providing its residents with news periodicals, historical data, magazines, books (fiction/non-fiction), computer accessibility, and youth programs in order to entertain, enlighten, and inform people of all ages.

---

​​​

---

Matt Nolder​ is a Cam Co Resident, History Buff & Eagle Scout-- "Looking for the rich history/pride of our community one person at a time!"

---

**pssst....Matt's also one of our dedicated volunteers and we're so appreciative he shared one of his favorite things about CamCo with us. 
If you have a #MyCameronCounty story about what you love about Cameron County you'd like to share -- we'd love to showcase it (and you!) in a blog post. Send it to us at camcoproud@gmail.com and we'll work with you to get it formatted and publish it here.