Joy of Rediscovery: An Ode to the Library

Best of Book Riot: The Joy of Rediscovery: An Ode to the Library
Book Riot: 12.28.2012 by Jodi Chromey

For my 40th birthday back in June, I got myself a library card thanks to some gentle shaming from Book Riot commenter InfoMissionary. Also an iPad.
These two gifts are related for the purposes of this post. I’ll get to it in a minute.

This brand new library card was the first library card I’d gotten since the mid-90s. After college, I had ceased using the library. I was at a point in my life where, due to living at home, I had a ridiculous amount of disposable income and would spend most of it on books. As my income grew, so did my book collection. I bought a lot of books. It was a privilege I didn’t even recognize.

So let’s fast forward a little. The things you need to know: mortgage, layoffs, freelancer, single woman, blah, blah, blah.

Now back to the library card. Somehow during most of the Aughts and Twenty-tweens, I had forgotten about the magic that is the library. I don’t know how this happened, but I am here to tell you the library has gotten even more magical.

It is the magicest place in all the land. I’m not even exaggerating with made-up words.

Back during my first library love affair, you had to go to a building that had books in it, and librarians would stamp due dates into the books with their hands. As I got older, they’d put stickers onto the books so you knew when they were due.

Now, you can check yourself out and the librarian never really needs to touch your books. This frees them up to help you find stuff. As my nephews, The Tibbles, discovered when librarians helped them find books about werewolves and penguins and how to speak Urdu. READ MORE !