Whenever I hear news about city budget shortfalls and the consideration of library services as a possible target of cuts, it saddens me.
Some might rationalize that a decline in foot traffic or a decline in the number of loans might make a case for a reduction in hours or even in the complete closure of a branch. I disagree. I honestly cannot imagine a community without a library.
Discussions like that tend to spur on memories of the countless hours I spent at my own neighbourhood library in my pre-teen and teen years.
We were so fortunate that there was a branch just three blocks away from the house where I grew up. That being the case, I could be found there a couple of times per week, especially through the summer months when school was out.
In a moment that may sound like a scene from an episode of “Young Sheldon”, I’ll never forget getting up on my tiptoes to stand taller over the circulation counter, attempting to drop my voice by an octave and asking the librarian if there was a minimum age to be able to go into the adult section.
Just to clarify, when I say “adult section”, I don’t mean materials that would be inappropriate for a pre-teen. I mean the collection of books that isn’t aimed at children or young adults. Continue reading
It's the Journey 