Libraries

 

Our library has reopened but it is not alive. 

In pre-covid days the library served as a resting place for several homeless people who occupied the same seats every day. They read the daily newspapers and monthly magazines while quietly munching on a granola bar or dozing. Special needs people from the area would carefully find pieces for a jigsaw puzzle. Other locals were busy researching job opportunities on the library computers. Students sat at tables with homework assignments. Photocopied crossword puzzles from the newspapers were available for members (mainly seniors) to work on. Children enjoyed story time. There were even opportunities for Bird watchers to borrow binoculars and a birding guide.

The library wasn't a noisy environment but it was alive. It was vividly described by author Susan Orlean in "The Library Book". Libraries of today provide more than shelves of books. They offer a safe refuge for many, learning opportunities for others and social connections in a diverse community.

When the library initially reopened through the back door I had to request a book online, wait for online confirmation that it was ready for pickup and finally approach the back door with my library card number. A librarian would find the book and place it on an outside table in a paper bag for me to retrieve. Now I can enter the library wearing a mask, cleanse my hands, answer covid questions and retrieve my requested book...or even browse through the shelves in a silent, empty library.

I am hopeful that our library will come alive again after the threat of Covid has faded.