They approached the circulation desk with big smiles on their faces. The woman was checking out three books. She explained that she and her partner often sit together at home, happily reading.
"I like to read more than I like to eat!" she explained.
"Wow!" I said. "That is really saying something!" It behooved me then to confess the truth. This LLL often likes to read and eat. It's not mindful, I know. Don't worry. I'm careful not to spill anything.
"It's okay," she said.
The intimacy of the conversation with the two happy customers yesterday reminds me that our libraries are places that bring happiness to all sorts of people on all sorts of levels.
Who would have thought that someone would prefer reading a book to eating? That is truly food for thought!
Of course, this begs the question of food and drink policies in the library. Times have changed so much. The ideal, in my opinion, is to have a lovely cafe at the library. This is, of course, not always possible. The library where I work has come up with a compromise that is working well. Drinks must be covered. Food can be eaten within reason. No eating at the computers.
One advantage of ebooks that occurs to me is that there is no way to spill food on them! Of course, if one spills something on the machine, that could be a disaster.
Here's an update on my partner and his kindle fire. He isn't really taking to it at this time. He prefers going to the library and browsing for the title that calls his name. On the other hand, a friend of mine who is recovering from surgery says that her kindle is extremely useful. She is finding books too heavy to lift right now and the kindle is, to quote the baby bear, "Just right".
I have been watching that old favorite film, "You've Got Mail." You know, the one with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan? The superstore bookstore vs. The Shop Around the Corner? We libraries are a bridge for our users. We continue to teach and help people to navigate the waves of change that are moving through our culture. Our role as teacher and navigator is increasing. We represent the friendly face of the "shop around the corner" and yet we can teach about those items purchased from the superstore (amazon.com) or the new device that the user is struggling to come to terms with.
We are the ones who help people to make wise choices and to put a human face on this ever changing landscape. I know of one library that turned out to literally be a port in the storm when there was a power failure in their community. They opened their doors to their friends and neighbors.
"I like to read more than I like to eat!" she explained.
"Wow!" I said. "That is really saying something!" It behooved me then to confess the truth. This LLL often likes to read and eat. It's not mindful, I know. Don't worry. I'm careful not to spill anything.
"It's okay," she said.
The intimacy of the conversation with the two happy customers yesterday reminds me that our libraries are places that bring happiness to all sorts of people on all sorts of levels.
Who would have thought that someone would prefer reading a book to eating? That is truly food for thought!
Of course, this begs the question of food and drink policies in the library. Times have changed so much. The ideal, in my opinion, is to have a lovely cafe at the library. This is, of course, not always possible. The library where I work has come up with a compromise that is working well. Drinks must be covered. Food can be eaten within reason. No eating at the computers.
One advantage of ebooks that occurs to me is that there is no way to spill food on them! Of course, if one spills something on the machine, that could be a disaster.
Here's an update on my partner and his kindle fire. He isn't really taking to it at this time. He prefers going to the library and browsing for the title that calls his name. On the other hand, a friend of mine who is recovering from surgery says that her kindle is extremely useful. She is finding books too heavy to lift right now and the kindle is, to quote the baby bear, "Just right".
I have been watching that old favorite film, "You've Got Mail." You know, the one with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan? The superstore bookstore vs. The Shop Around the Corner? We libraries are a bridge for our users. We continue to teach and help people to navigate the waves of change that are moving through our culture. Our role as teacher and navigator is increasing. We represent the friendly face of the "shop around the corner" and yet we can teach about those items purchased from the superstore (amazon.com) or the new device that the user is struggling to come to terms with.
We are the ones who help people to make wise choices and to put a human face on this ever changing landscape. I know of one library that turned out to literally be a port in the storm when there was a power failure in their community. They opened their doors to their friends and neighbors.
