I Love Libraries!

 I love libraries and I'm not ashamed to admit it. As a kid, I spent countless hours in the school library and several nearby public libraries. All I knew was that they had books and I liked going there. 

Well, that was a few years ago and times have changed. Now you can get books online and folks don't read as much with all of the other distractions. I've read and heard that libraries are no longer needed. Nonsense! I actually said something else in the first draft, but I try to stay wholesome.

My job takes me around a big chunk of southern Minnesota. I go to towns big and small and often need to meet people there. I usually meet them at the library since it's a safe public space with WiFi and air conditioning. Did I mention that I also love the books they still have?

The other day I got to the library a bit before it opened and spent the time just watching the front door. Two dozen or so people were there early, too. Parents with kids, some random teenagers, a bunch of other folks- I didn't talk, I just watched. Clearly, they wanted to get in and I started to really wonder why. When I went in, the teenagers were opening up a board game on one of the tables. Folks were using their computers to look for jobs. I heard a kid describe a book to a librarian as only a three-year-old can, and she knew just what he was talking about. So much more than "just books."

Then I went to an Alzheimer's awareness event in another town and the local library had a table. I confess I didn't get it at first. Then I had to go look at their table and holy smokes, they were amazing. Part of their table was covered in books about Alzheimer's. Books for kids, books for adults- a freakin table full of them! Next to them, they had bags with "Memory Kits" on different topics. Kits you could check on and share with a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer's. Fishing or gardening or whatever. 

I participate in a writers group at another library. It's yet another resource that the library offers the community. We sometimes have to wait for the kid's activities to finish up in the room, but I'll live. Every time I go there, the place is full of people utilizing their resources. Every. Single. Time.

To anyone who says libraries don't have a place in today's world, I humbly believe you are wrong. They are more needed than ever.