Lieberry

I’m old. Okay, not old but I lived before the internet. When I had to do school papers I would go to the library. I’d look up books in the card catalog, the Dewey Decimal system.

As a kid my dad would take us once a month or so to the main library in our city. That was how we rented vhs tapes, there weren’t a ton of choices back then. I’d go to the kids section and find some books to take out. I loved the quiet and vastness of the building.

In high school I went to a smaller town library that had a section with glass-bottomed floors. I would get information for my homework then peruse the books and magazines. There was so much information to be had there. I could not have imagined that this would all be at my fingertips one day. Occasionally I would go into the big city library and walk around in awe.

My college library was not just a place to study but a meeting spot for group projects. I had long nights there; once again it was a wealth of information and suddenly we get get this information on computers- though primitive.

I moved away after college and didn’t have a lot of money for extras like books and magazines. I would go to my local library, get books and read the latest edition of People Magazine. It was my escape for an hour or two.

Suddenly my life changed; I had more income to buy the magazines and my life was busier. The internet was expanding, Kindle came to be. I lost my library card but it didn’t matter, I could buy the books now.

Recently I walked over to my adorable local library and got a new card. I took out two books and devoured one immediately. I rediscovered my love of physical books. I didn’t get to finish the other before I had to return it. Not a big deal. I know that I can download books for free but I like going to the library and looking at the books. I like bringing my selections to the librarian and talking about the books. There is something so simple yet wonderful about the library.

Despite the amazing progress in technology sometimes the old, archaic ways work best.