The Library Wins Again

You may not be aware of this, but I am a HUGE book lover. I devoured books when I was a kid. And I must say that my mom did her part to help my love for books grow. Maybe my mom took us to the library all the time to help her pockets out. Because as soon as I finished a book, I wanted another one. And a book habit is not cheap. Whatever the reason, my appreciation for books translated into a real love for the library and librarians.

The downtown library was not shiny and new when I was a kid. It was showing its age. And the kid section was upstairs. And the ride upstairs in the elevator was…an adventure. But it was a trek that I gladly took because I knew that there were tons of treasures waiting for me. I would browse and find the books that seemed like they wanted to come home with me. I would judge books by their covers. I would choose books based on the librarian’s recommendations. I was in my zone.

My commitment to libraries did not leave me when I became an adult. I would find the closest library in every city that I lived in and become a card-carrying member. Even though I was far from home, my connection to the library helped me be centered. And to be honest, it was cheaper and better for my packing to not have so many books to lug from place to place.

As soon as I moved back to Little Rock, I renewed my library card. I would make a weekly or biweekly pilgrimage to check out 3…or 4…or 5 books. Listen, it doesn’t take me long to read a book. It was how I would unwind after a long day of talking and helping kids. My “me” time. As life got busier, I was doing well if I was able to read one book a month. And I stopped reading all together when I started writing the blog. I just didn’t have the time.

Within the last year, I reunited with checking out books again. I must say that my local branch is superb. I would reserve books that I wanted to read on the app and be notified by email when they were ready for pickup. I was able to walk right to the reserved shelf and pick up the books with my name on them and check them out. Easy peasy. If I need something notarized, my branch handles that as well. Free of charge.

I was getting a paper notarized at my branch last week. While the man was stamping and signing, my eyes wandered, and looked at the sheets of paper with various information on the table. And I saw an application to loan out power tools. As soon as he finished, I asked if they had a hammer drill that I could check out. He quickly answered yes, and I left the branch that day with my notarized paper and a hammer drill to use to finish installing my security camera. The library wins again.

So on today, I must express my gratitude for the libraries of the world. They are a great resource that is available to the community but a resource that is often overlooked. I wonder why I did not become a librarian. I guess that just was not my path. Anyways, I highly recommend checking out your local library. Who knows what treasures you will find there? #wepreach