I Love My Library

That's right, I love my local library. It amazes me the range and volume of books and DVDs available. From my computer I can log into the system and renew books, request books and browse the catalog.

I remember back in the olden days we had to learn the Dewey Decimal System to be able to look up the books on cards. There were furniture-like cabinets made narrow enough and deep enough to just fit the little cards in. The drawers were really long, or so it seemed when I was only 3'2" tall. I loved our library as a kid. Everything was natural wood, the floors, the shelves, the tables. It smelled of wood and books, a rather pleasant smell. It also seemed really big, but since I was really small I am thinking my perception today would be quite different. I used to get a lot of books from the library. One thing I remember quite well is that we all cared for the items we borrowed. We were taught to respect books and so we did. We didn't bend down the corners to mark our place or drop food on the pages and, heaven forbid, write in any of the books. Everyone I knew returned the books on time to avoid the minimal late fee. Entering the library was entering into a world of hushed whispers, even silence. If anyone were to speak audibly a bespectacled
and prim woman would shush them. It was almost like entering the Catholic church that sat right next door (I know this because all my friends were Catholic and I used to go with them while they confessed their sins - sometimes it was a long wait).

Today the library is very different. For one, the floors are covered with foul smelling carpeting and the aroma of wood and books is long gone. This library is relatively new, too. The shelves and tables are metal and finding a real person to talk to isn't all that easy. One checks out electronically. But the selection is impressive, and not just because I was able to find Jonathan's Story by Julia London. I've found many great books and if I can't find them on the shelf I can request them and in a day or two they will arrive from any of the many locations in the county. In fact, there's usually more than one copy to be had so it's not difficult to get the book I want.

The selection of DVDs and videos is outstanding. I could kick myself for paying rental fees to watch a movie at home at my leisure. I've watched movies I never would've rented in the first place simply because I can get them for nothing, my favorite price. Recently, I watched The King of California, a movie I would never have considered paying to watch. It was a pretty good movie, too. I love Costco as much as the next guy but I would not want to die under one (you have to see the movie to know what I'm referring to). I also borrowed The Cranes Are Flying, Criterion Edition, no less!

You are wondering what could be uncool beans about it, right? Unfortunately, people have lost their respect for what doesn't belong to them. The books have caked on food between the pages. If that weren't enough, it appears as though some people take these borrowed books to the pool or the beach because they've been soaked and dried making the pages all wavy. Not only are the corners bent down but some whole pages have been folded in half. The worst transgression of all is people writing in the books. It appalls me that people would do such a thing. I've borrowed more than a few books where it appears someone fancies himself a better writer than the writer. It's like they are playing school and acting like an English teacher grading the manuscript. I can't help chuckling at the stupidity of these people because more often than not their corrections are incorrect. Don't they know that writers have editors and publishers who go over the stuff before printing? Ok, sure, once in a while there is a typo. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people taking pens and marking through sentences and re-writing them, crossing out words and changing the grammar, or suggesting a "better" way of writing something. I find it distracting and immensely disrespectful. They have no right to damage property that doesn't belong to them in such a manner. It's entirely selfish and egoistical. If the people doing this think it makes them look smart it doesn't. It's very uncool beans.

I'm also appalled at the condition of the DVDs. Most of them I pass over and that's the reason I end up with movies I wouldn't ordinarily rent. I borrow them merely because they aren't damaged and will most likely play without a hiccup in my player. I wanted to borrow Castle In The Sky, a pricey DVD if one were to buy it, but when I opened the case to see how it faired I couldn't believe the damage. It makes me wonder about people. After all, the ones ruining the discs, carelessly throwing them around unprotected, are also the ones who benefit from getting them at no cost. The huge number of incredibly wonderful films available on DVD at my library that are completely trashed is unfathamable and sad. It doesn't reflect well on us as a society. It really doesn't take any effort to handle them gently and respectfully. Such thoughtlessness is tragic and it's totally uncool beans.