Apparently, I am a library snob. Who knew?
Mostly, though, I love to poke around in different libraries and see how things are organized. What's emphasized. What kinds of displays are set up. What the children's library looks like. What programs they have.
In this particular library, I saw several sad signs informing patrons that this service was no longer offered or this price had gone up...all because of decreased library funding. That kind of thing is pretty upsetting to me, obviously.
Libraries depend so much upon the patrons. Everything we do is to make their experiences at the library the best they can be. That's why we come up with program ideas, order particular books, and go above and beyond in service.
Lots of libraries have come up with creative ways of making more money, and this library was no exception. All over the circulation desk, displays of homemade items, food, and gifts were being offered for a price.
Browsing through the stacks, I accumulated quite a pile. I had to set it down because it got too heavy. This reminded me of when I was little, and how I used to check out dozens of books at a time. I would spread them out all over the floor and arrange them in the order I wanted to read them. One time when I was at the library, I had pulled out so many books that a librarian came over and got mad at me. I told her I was going to check them out; I wasn't just pulling them for fun. That shut her up.
The new book display is always a highlight. New books make me really excited. They're so shiny and perfect. No recipes ripped out, no passages underlined. All the latest from my favorite authors, as well as new authors to try.
Visiting other libraries opens my eyes to what other libraries are doing. Because I love my job, I can't seem to stay away from them.
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