Copyright by Paula S. Jordan, 2011
As a companion piece to Darkcargo’s recent discussion of ‘older reading devices’ (i.e.: books) I’d like to offer a thought or two on the places of enchantment and discovery where those ‘older reading devices,’ were to be found, i.e.: ‘older libraries,’ and the Librarians who brought them to life.
My earliest memory of a library was of a single pleasant room attached to the general store in my grandmothers tiny Louisiana town. My brothers and I would climb the steps to the long unpainted porch that served both establishments, say polite hellos to the chorus of old men wearing down the benches outside the store, and pull open the screen door at the end of the porch.
The room was no more than ten feet by twenty, with windows on the front and one side wall, Miss Duckworth’s small desk to the right of the door, and all remaining wall space filled with books. In the center was a table where featured books were displayed, and where members of the summer reading club colored in a segment of a smiling bookworm for each book we read.
Miss Duckworth was a world-expanding experience for me, with her suggestions of such new friends as the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew, and the fabulous adventures they enjoyed. When she discovered that I liked science fiction, she made sure that I found all the six or eight volumes with the space ships on their spines. Later still it was biographies, maybe twenty in all. and I read all those as well.
She never had an assistant that I knew of. When she was ‘indisposed’ the door inside the battered screen was locked. Her own pay, if she was paid, was surely very small. What I regard, then, as the gift of her time, was pivotal for me. Though other libraries have followed, with flashier technology and limitless collections of more serious and challenging fare, Miss Duckworth’s was the cornerstone of my reading life.
And I wonder, for all the convenience and variety of e-books dropping magically into our reading devices, isn’t something missing? And I’m thinking of something more than the bulk and heft of words resting physically in your hand. I am thinking of the absence of that other hand that put the book into yours.
Very cool. If I have had a long day at work, I find that I like to scrounge around a library as a way to relax and unwind. I find I often do this after medical appointments too. I neverknow exactly what will strike my interest.
I agree. Not many things are more comforting to me than a room full of books. Warmest, friendliest decor around!
You know, I used to feel the same way about e-readers. It just seemed like it was taking something away from the enjoyment of reading. The smell of the book, the feel of the paper in your hands. It was something I always enjoyed and loved. However, as I have moved 5 times in the last 7 years, one thing that always seemed to be a pain was the books. I loved my books, and I wanted to keep them and cherish them, but moving them over and over and over and over got to be tedious. Especially with one move from New Mexico to California, and one move from California to the UK. It just started to seem less worthwhile to keep books that I wanted, but had to either move several times or pay to have shipped.
While I still do love books, I have also gotten quite a fondness for my e-reader. In London, if I need to do some errands in town, and I want to bring it with me to read on the tube, it’s incredibly lightweight and portable, and it’s much easier to read one-handed (if there is no seating) than a book. Also with traveling, I don’t have to carry several books with me.
So I’ve become a bit of an e-reader convert. While I do still have some of my books, and a buy a few, I definitely found that it allows me to have more storage and a bit of an easier time than when I had boxes and shelves of books everywhere…
Well, I’ll tell you what. At a time when it’s Dog Food or New Books, I’m a heavy patron of the local library. I’ve discovered that they’re usually receptive to suggesting new titles to put on their shelves.
Also, I love to tote around the huge hardbacks, even if I’m not reading them. It gives me an aura of “smarts”. But I (heart) my Kindle.
My Main Man (hearts) my Kindle right now. I haven’t seen it in months. Thankfully, i have an Ectaco, which is not only way cool to say, but is lighter than the Kindle and therefore, leaves less of an imprint when I fall asleep with it on my face.
I never meant to say I’m opposed to e-readers, only that we need to continue to support libraries and librarians too. They provide options and insights that you might be able to find on the internet, but — outside Darkcargo — not always easily.
Heh! Yes, sorry- we got a little sidetracked in the comments. It’s interesting to overhear the librarians talk to one another while at the book repair meetup on Thursdays. They have to keep abreast of at least one specific type of book so that they can be in a position to best help patrons. Sometimes the have to read books they wouldn’t finish otherwise, or alternatively, they are SQUEEALY excited about some new title that came in, sequestering it away as soon as it’s released to circulation.
One other thing about libraries that is often overlooked/not discussed: they are quiet and commercial-free environments for reading, which is rare. How often have you tried to read in a coffee shop while a job interview or startup business strategy meeting in going on?
True! Or the TV ____EVERPLACE___
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