The Way of the Dodo...

I love libraries.  I've always loved libraries.  As a child, my brother and sister were much older than me (my sister was 16 years older and my brother 18 years older).  I have a nephew who's only 4 months younger than I am.  By the time I reached school age, I was the only one left at home with Mom and Dad.  So, I retreated into books.  I would read from morning to night if I had the chance.  They were my friends, my comrades.  I traveled across the world to exotic places with Mowgli in the Jungle Book.  I would pretend to stand at the balcony reciting Juliette’s monologue from Romeo and Juliette.  I traveled to the future with Animal Farm or A Wrinkle In Time.

During the summer break (which I hated by the way), I would ride my old Schwinn 3-speed down to the local library – you know, the one across the street from the Courthouse.  I'd sit for hours reading books and newspapers and magazines – anything I could get my hands on.  I would use any excuse I could to get to the library during my school years – term papers, speech preparation, new issue of TeenBeat, anything.  This continued into my college years where I would find a quiet corner of Bracken Library and study.  It was easier to avoid distractions if I weren’t in my dorm.

Then I grew up.  I still read every chance I can.  When I was expecting my children, I would read to them in the womb.  When they made their appearance into this cold, cruel world, we would read every night – at least 20 minutes.  I would record books on cassette tapes so they could “read” along with me as they were growing up.  My kids spent almost as much time in the library as they spent at home.

During the years I home-schooled my son, we were a staple at the local library.  Everyone there knew him by name.  My name was, of course was “Ian’s Mom.” He learned to love books as much as I did.  The library was 1^st base…home base was our dining room where all the computers and schoolbooks were.

 There were always activities for people at the local libraries.  That is where my son found his love of acting.  That is where we would play chess each week or learn how to paintsomething we were proud to put on our walls.  Weekly reading time provided the kids a chance to be together for an hour and the mom’s a chance to breathe for a few minutes.

So what’s my point?  With the convenience and availability of the internet, electronic books, digital music, etc., the libraries in my area are becoming shells of what they once were.  It is so much easier to put your question into your favorite search engine and get the answer than to travel downtown to look it up.  You don’t need to borrow books or music anymore; you can get them online.  Our library reminds me of a crypt – large, gaping areas of nothing where books used to be…empty seats that used to be filled with people leafing through newspapers and magazines.

It’s sad to see it happen, although understandable.  With so much information available at your fingertips, the brick and mortar library isn’t as vital today as it was when I was young.  I am sorry that my grandchildren will not experience the smell and feel of old books like I did.  I am as guilty as everyone else though.  The only time I will journey out to the library is when I have microfilms from LDS to view.  I can get everything else delivered right to my home computer.

I am hoping that local public libraries never go the way of the Dodo bird.  I hope that there will always be a brick and mortar building that people can go to learn or read or just get away. 

I love libraries and I will miss them greatly if they ever go away.

Until later,

Happy Hunting!!