The Books Are Weeping

It's every girl's fantasy to be locked in a shopping mall overnight, right?

Wrong.

When I was young, I fantasized about being accidentally locked inside the library after closing time. To have the entire library to myself for the night! To page through book after book after book after book until I was deliriously bleary eyed, without being shushed by the librarian or warned that On the Origin of Species might be beyond my reading level (it was--but who cares?).

My love of libraries goes back as far as I can remember. At four or five, I turned my bedroom into one. I created a card catalogue listing all my books and forced family members to check them out. When they forgot about the game, days later, I'd gleefully appear with an overdue notice and collect a nickel fine.

My first visit to a school library forever changed the way I think about books. After giving us a tour and describing the Dewey decimal system in terms kindergarteners could understand, the librarian told us that while some books were always in demand, others had never been checked out at all. She said that if you listened closely, you could actually hear these overlooked books crying.

What an impression that made on my wee soul! I'd crouch between aisles of books, straining to hear the weeping volumes. I never did hear a book cry, but for years afterward, whenever I'd pick up a library book, I'd flip straight to the back to see if there were any dates stamped on the card in the pocket. A pristine card meant the book had never been checked out. Discovering a virgin book was like befriending an unpopular kid at school. These literary good deeds expanded my world, exposing me to books beyond what all the other kids were reading.

Nowadays, most libraries have done away with the cards in favor of bar codes and scanners, so a book's lending history can only be guessed at by the degree to which the spine has been cracked and the pages dog-eared.

I still have the very first library card ever issued to me, from Ossining Public Library (originally named Sing Sing Public Library after the town's famous prison) in New York. My thrill at achieving this rite of passage was probably not eclipsed until I got my driver's license, if then. We moved a lot when I was a kid, and for each of the dozen or so towns I lived in before high school, I can still remember the layout of the local library--each children's section, magazine rack, reference desk, and drinking fountain.

All these memories came to mind this morning when I learned that my current local library, Covina Public Library, is in imminent danger of shutting down due to city budget cuts. According to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Covina voters last year opted not to renew the city utility tax, which funds libraries, parks, and recreational facilities, among other services. Without the utility tax, keeping the library afloat would mean cutting money from other city departments, something Covina's mayor rules out. If the Covina Public Library closes, it would reportedly be the first time in California history that any city library would be forced to shut down.

Public libraries in general have faced tough times of late. I admit my own library usage has declined in the past decade. I buy more books than I borrow; and much of the research I used to do in the library can now be done online. But I count on the library to be available when my kids or I want to visit, and it's unthinkable to me that it could be gone by next summer. A local group, Community Matters, is working on a petition to get the utility tax back on the ballot, and my family and I will be among the first signers. If you live in Covina, I urge you to do the same.

Do you know the fiscal health of your public library? The next time you visit, listen closely. You may hear the books crying.

Comments

[Carolina323]

Brenda. When I was younger,going to library was an adventure a thrill, pure joy filled my heart, I felt like a young adult. I was in pure bliss when I would be in the children's section and couldn't wait to move up the bigger books teens would read and then the young adult section. When I talked about the library to other friends and some didn't have libraries I was shocked, "how could you not have a library in your ciy?" I have pride in my local library and thankfull it has been there for soo many years. Just the thought of our library being abolished would be heartbreaking. The library has been a very usefull resource growing up. Even though now most of my research is done online or by purchasing books, I would still support my local library becaue not only was it a place that was shared with others but of all the memories and information available at my fingertips. Im glad there are groups such as Community Matters where citizens can voice their opinion and make a change. I wish your city the best in recovering your local library.
Carolina Martinez

[susinurse]

HI Brenda
I have enjoyed your introduction and how you appeal to your readers emotions to make a point. I never remember myself going to the library or reading a book for fun and the only time that I did was reading a story by Claudia Lars. It sounded a little like your introduction, like a bedtime story.
I think beside the reality that people are not egger readers, come also the problem that politics are not focus on children but in making a few wealthy ones happy.
And I am sorry for my cynicism, but I think the time to write about problems its gone beyond. It is time to do, to act, to go to courts and let a few interested be heard.
Susi

[KOH]

After reading your article I also began to think about my years as a younger child in a library. I would visit the library every day while waiting for my mother to pick me up. It was an acvity I enjoyed very much. As I continued growing up I slowly stopped going to my library and ,also began doing my research from home online.Nev­ertheless, it is hard to believe that any city would even think about shutting down their library. Every child deserves to have a library in their city. A place where they can escape to imagine all kinds of posibilities.
Karina Ordaz

[elleniek]

Brenda it is very sad to see any library close. I'm fortunate that the city library near me has two non-profit library support organizations. One raises money through used book sales and cultural tours and granted back to the library to fund special purchases and programs. The other funds major special projects and the purchase of extraordinary library materials. The Foundation is responsible for the original grants to the library initiating the popular videocassette rental program which is a way to keep people coming to the library. I wish you well in saving your library.

[KrisConwell]

People are often quick to approve tax cuts without truly comprehending what the resultant losses will mean for the community. I, too, am an Internet user and book buyer, but I cannot fathom voting to close my town's library just to save a few tax dollars.

[homesteader]

Oh,yes. I don't still have my first library card, but I do remember seeing who had checked out what. And reading books that the librarians wondered why anyone read any more--the complete works of Raphael Sabatini, anyone??

And saying hello to the N.C. Wyeth paintings that hung in the library.

[Mymia]

I cannot believe that any City would let their public library close. This is why whenever people complain about taxes, I try to remind them of everything the tax dollars actually provide us like libraries. What is that additional 1% to 2% on the utilities? About $1.25? Less than a Starbucks?

Tax me and keep the library! IMHO
Maria