Today’s librarians talk in normal voices. They don’t whisper or murmur, and the word “Shush!” is not in their vocabularies. I always feel the need to look around and make sure I haven’t accidentally wandered into the Post Office next door. It’s not silenced enough to be a library!The library is a very different place from the library of my childhood—or even the libraries of my younger adult years. To begin with, there is so much more on offer: Not only books and music, newspapers and magazines, the staples of the library of my childhood, but also movies, public talks, computers to use by the hour, government pamphlets, and more.
And people talking in normal voices! Indeed the library is a changed place.
But the shame of it is that so many people ignore this treasure trove of information and entertainment. Who uses the library mostly? From my very un-scientific observation it’s mostly little kids with their parents, older kids (through college age) using the research facilities, and retirees who want to fill some of their leisure hours reading but, on limited budgets, can’t afford to buy as many books as their voracious reading appetites and now-free hours would like.
Where are the rest of you? Why aren’t you taking advantage of the library’s resources—free resources, I might add?
If you want to read a book you heard about but can’t or don’t want to spend the money to buy it, try the library.
If you want to read a book you heard about but aren’t sure you’ll like it enough to want to own it, try the library.
If you want to read a book but haven’t got room for one more book—even a thin one—on your bookshelves, try the library.
If you’re doing research for a work project, a book you’re writing, a term paper, or some other purpose, but Google isn’t helping and you’re not sure where to turn, try the library, and the ever-helpful research librarian.
If you’d like to explore a type of music you know little about and don’t want to buy CDs you might not like after all, try the library.
If you have free time and would like to listen to an interesting public talk but don’t have the funds for admittance to a museum or auditorium, try the library.
If your computer is broken beyond repair and you can’t afford a new one at this time, try the library.
The library has changed in so many respects, but it’s still free, still a wonderful resource, and more than ever has so much to offer.
Please don’t yell when you’re inside it, but you no longer have to shush.
My, how it’s changed!