Last night I left the public library emerging into the sunset light with an arm full of library books. I thought, well, this is familiar. I meant it in two ways: I often leave with an arm full of books, but also, my seminary semester is coming to a close, and I'm going to seize this chance to read books for pleasure.
I thought back to the first time I was in grad school, and the public library in Columbia, South Carolina. This was before the city built a gorgeous new building for the main branch in the mid 90's. I'm remembering a much smaller building closer to Baptist Hospital, the hospital which has a new name and corporate sponsorship now.
I am remembering all the authors I discovered as I browsed the new books section, and if it was a good book, I'd go upstairs to the stacks where the general fiction was crammed into every bit of shelf space. I'm remembering reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams as a new release and then devouring The Bean Trees, such perfect books.
That public library used to let patrons check out framed works of art. I'm sure they had no value, but they enhanced our grad school apartments. The downtown Ft. Lauderdale branch of my current public library has an impressive trove of sheet music.
My song of praise for public libraries must end here. Time to go to work and then to finish up some seminary writing this evening so that I can start to read from the treasure trove of books from the public library.
(note: I've tilled this fertile territory before--for a longer blog post, go here)
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