Sunday Afternoon at the Library
by Rosalind Foley on 10/01/13
Our main public library, having been gutted to remove asbestos, is under renovation. Meanwhile, its functions are spread out in such facilities as were available. The 'stacks', a limited number of them, are housed in what was once a McCrory's 5 and 10. The always obliging staff makes the best of the temporary arrangement, but light is dim and the whole place has the tired look of old linoleum. I've taken more and more to placing requests and picking up books at the back desk on my way home.
I miss browsing, the fun of discovering a new author or a new book by a well-liked veteran writer. I miss the smell and the tactile experience or taking a book off the shelf and opening it. I miss the whispered exchanges with staff and other patrons.
When the old library reopens it will offer more e-books, more computers and more internet access. That's all good, but I hope there is a light-filled, hushed space for old fashioned book lovers like me.
