The Library

This post is my dedication to the Library...no, not the bar down the street, which has the same name, but the place where you can check out any book, movie, CD, etc. of your choice.

I consider it a fantastic service the library provides for this country. I believe it was Helen Keller who thought of the idea, and started the first one, but I could be wrong. Google it if you want, I choose not to at this point. Where else in the world can you go somewhere in your area and get an ID that allows you travel places all over for free? Every time I walk into my local library, I am thankful that part of the government is working in our favor.

I don't know why I never chose to go to school to get a degree in library services. Guess my dream was to always own a bookstore. I never had plans to make large amounts of money, so I really wish I would have decided about that idea about 25 years ago. Librarians are fantastic people. They are not the old nasty ladies with bifocals looking for some young punk to yell at (I am NOT picturing Ms. Hodenfield at this point--I always liked her). At my local library, there are a few older ladies, but they smile, and love to help people. There is even a young guy who I swear has been working there since he was in high school. They are just as interested in your selections as if you were buying them and they were making money off of you.

I love the thrill of finding out about a new publication from a favorite author, going online and entering my ID number (sorry, know it by heart---but Faith knows hers by heart too, so it's a good thing!) to put that book on hold. I literally pump my fist into the air in victory when I am the first one to get the book. (I'll say it again, I am a nerd) I LOVE getting that new book and open it up, breaking the "seal" and being the first to savor the story. I also think about the books who have been in other hands before reaching me, wondering who the person was, did they enjoy it, did the love it, did they hate it. Did it bring them as much joy as it brought me?

Don't get me wrong, I still love buying books, but if I bought everything I wanted, I would be drowning in debt and walking through the aisles created by the stacks and stacks of books I just had to have, not getting to sit down anywhere to enjoy. I save the purchasing for two categories: the books that interest me the most (Native American publications, Anne Rice) and the books I can't get at the library. For some reason, some publications just don't make the cut. It doesn't bother me though, that way I get to hunt in different places for that must read.

Libraries are one American idea I am proud of. Someday I hope to actually enter the Library of Congress and actually see history through the spines of thousands of books. But if that never happens, I will gladly be enjoying my time surrounded by bookshelves in my own home, with spines of books that show my history of things I love.