I love to read. I mean, I really love to read. Outside of the two and half years in grad school when I literally didn't have time to read books of my own choosing, I easily read a book or two per week. If I'm on vacation, it's usually one per day. As you can imagine, libraries are a big part of my life. In the suburbs I had access to some pretty incredible libraries. One even had a coffee shop inside so that you could sit and read like you might at Starbucks. The library closest to my house was a branch library, but it still was award winning and it had a lovely fireplace where I could cozy up on a cushy couch to read a magazine.
Living in a large suburb, one often feels as part of a cog in a big machine. Everything is automated without much personal service. Ever since I started going to my local branch I was taught how to use the library. I look up books on the computer, find them, go to the check out station, scan my items, put them in my book bag, go through the book detector (kind of like walking through a metal detector) and I'm on my way. To return them, I slide them in the outside drop off. Depending on which library I went to, one was like a giant mailbox and the other had slits in the outside wall where you deposited them. If I had an overdue book, I received an email. If it was really overdue, I received something in the mail.
When I visited my local library in the country, I didn't know how to use it because I was so used to doing everything myself. Now, there was a media specialist who could direct me to the books I wanted. She knew pretty much about what they had. Side note: there is an entire section, not just shelf, devoted to JUST Christian romance novels and fiction. You wouldn't find that in the suburbs. When I went to check out the first time, I didn't know what to do because I didn't see any check out stations! I went to the desk to ask how I check out and she said, "I'll do it for you," and she did. She scanned my book, tore off the due date printout, placed it in the pocket of the book, and handed it to me. Wow. Personal contact.
I was standing in the racks the other day overhearing conversations the media specialist had with young students who came for various reasons after school. She was asking a teen about her school day, what went well, what didn't, etc. The teen was invested in the conversation. As I passed the children's room, it was abuzz with sounds of children constructing with Legos for the Lego club. I remember years ago having conversations with librarians about books. I lost that in the suburbs because I didn't have any contact with another who shared my passion for reading. I didn't realize until being in the country that I missed that.
And then today. I received an email a couple of days ago reminding me that I had a book due. I knew it, but I didn't have a chance to get to the library the next day to return it. Today it's one day overdue and I planned to return it or renew it today. Imagine my surprise when my phone rang and the person identified herself from the library letting me know that book was overdue and would I like to renew it? I replied yes and she renewed it. What??? A personal phone call to renew my book? Wow.
No comments:
Post a Comment