Depending on who we are and what situation we find ourselves in, doing something ‘new’ can either fill us with excitement or burden us with anxiety, or some imbalanced mixture of the two. Yesterday I had a new beginning that was purely enjoyable and positive; I went to the local branch of my public library and got my free library card.
Having my own, personal library card is a totally new experience for me. As a child, I did go to the library with my parents, but growing up in the country and having an address for one town and a phone number for another meant that we weren’t technically in the county of the library nearest to us. Because of this, my mom actually had to pay for us to use the closest library - seems crazy, I know, but being a book lover herself, she willingly did it, and so going to the library on Sat. mornings following my piano lesson and choosing books or videos to borrow or magazines to read became a regular part of my childhood. Of course, I had access to a library during my high school and university years, but during those days, the library was a place for research, studying and reading but little fun.
I have been living in the big city I now call ‘home’ for almost 3 years, and it wasn’t until a few months ago, when looking for books for work and having little success through my work library, that my thoughts turned to the public library. I checked with a co-worker; ”A library card is free, right?” She chuckled a response of ‘yes.’ Memories of my country childhood, I tell you…
So yesterday, I walked into my local branch of the public library and in a matter of minutes, a lovely new card was mine, name signed on the back, at no cost, giving me access to a world of new resources. I buzzed with a subtle excitement that was reppressed by my quiet surroundings; I channelled my energy into a self-guided tour of the branch. No more will I pick up a book in a bookstore, turn it over in my hands, read it’s jacket and then debate for 10 minutes whether to buy it or not - I’ll just borrow it from the library! And movies and cds and magazines too - all different magazines, on all subjects, from trashy to academic, all could be read at no cost - the joy! And the people! What a lovely, peaceful sight it was to find all these souls of all ages, not listening to ipods or playing tappy finger games on handheld devices, but just sitting together, silently reading. In our digital times, it felt very reassuring and peaceful to witness this, and I now, too, can be one of these peaceful readers! After my tour I found myself a chair by a large window and with 2 magazines, a recent copy of “People” and a less recent modern home design magazine, I sat back and enjoyed my new freedom.
I look forward to my future, periodical trips to the library and all the great stories and works (and less than great stories and works, ie. “People” magazine **cough, cough**) that are waiting to be shared with me. In a world where people are always complaining about money, doesn’t even the idea of a library just make you want to smile and dance? It’s brilliant! Thanks to the individuals throughout history who worked to ensure that the art and knowledge contained in libraries could, and should, be shared with all (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_libraries). If only all new beginnings could be as pleasant as my library card experience yesterday, or as the starting of this ‘many-years-being-pondered’ blog.
I look forward to sharing more thoughts, reviews and musings with you, whoever you are. Enjoy!
