In Praise of Libraries

     I live about equidistance between two county libraries. One is my home county library, housed in a new, airy building on the campus of a community college. As I enter through glass doors, one of several librarians greets me and asks if I need help. After a leisurely browse through the fiction shelves, with a quick stop in the children’s section, I check out. The librarian asks my opinion about a book I’ve chosen, and we chat for a minute, before I bundle up my books and leave.

     The other library, located in a more affluent county, offers a far richer range of holdings. This, too, is a new building, or at least, newly renovated, and it, too is an airy and welcoming structure. But the librarians there—ah, not so friendly. In fact, the library offers an automated scanner so patrons don’t even have to engage with a librarian in person at all.

    I pay an annual, out-of-county fee here because it’s convenient to my grandchildren’s homes and because the selection of books on CD is wonderful. But still, I never experience the same little flutter of pleasure when I go to this library as I do when I visit Chatham County’s Library. Like a top-notch department store or an independent bookstore, the Chatham County Library staff emphasize customer service in a way that seems genuine and welcoming. It reminds me of the libraries of my childhood, where, over time, I formed a relationship with the librarian: she (almost always a she) knew my name, remembered what series books I liked, always had a suggestion for a new title.

     Many elements combine to make a good library: comfortable spaces, a strong collection, access to computers—but most libraries these days have such basics. It’s the people who make the difference in our—or, at least, in my—experience. The Chatham County Library wins that contest, hands down. I thank them.