“Flash! Library ladies are nice!"
Libraries are pretty much unrecognizable by those of us who are, shall we say, less young. I was raised at a time when libraries were to feared. Librarians considered kids to be little more than walking noise machines.
No more… at least not in Montgomery County, home of seven county libraries. Seven? Did you know that? Well, did you know that kids can talk and make noise on the first floor of the Central Branch Library in Conroe? No telling what they can do in the other six. I was born in the wrong decade.
I learned about the evolution of The Library from Montgomery County’s own Devery Johnson. Don’t you just love that name? Devery. She is one of the directors for the whole library system in Montgomery County… maybe even the world. I was so impressed with the girl’s knowledge that I awarded her the “world” title right there on Tuesday morning’s Mark and Cindy Show at irlonestar.com.
Oh, the stuff I learned. Did you know that the first “r” in the word “library” is not silent? I picked up on that the third time I was corrected. The most important piece of stuff I learned from Devery was the fact that my library card had expired. You’re supposed to renew them annully. That’s almost once a year.
For more than a few years, I’ve been carrying a superfluous piece of thick plastic in my wallet. That’s what you call dead wallet weight. I hate carrying wallet weight. I’m not crazy about carrying around the word “superfluous.”
Devery was unflustered and less than sympathetic about the knowledge of my expired card. She told me to go the nearest library and re-up. Won’t cost me anything. I meant to ask if the new cards are any thinner than the old ones. You could pry a spike off a railroad tie with my old one.
Devery wasn’t as interested in the tool-like applications of the library card as she was with the many services available to the bearer of one. Did you know you can check out 30 items with a library card? Not 30 books, but 30 of a combination of things. E-books, CDs, DVDs, audio books… even real books. I’m not making this up.
Do you have any idea what the late fee would be on 30 library items? For the first week it’d probably be something like a buck fifty.
I couldn’t process all of what Devery was telling me. After awhile I quit taking notes and just started sipping my coffee and nodding. I’ve got a most intellectual-looking nod. Everybody says so.
At one point I nodded at the mention of “Hip 2 Stitch.” The library has knitting and crocheting classes and sessions. They even have yarn bombings. I’d tell you more about that if I had a clue. My nod was working wonders.
They also do Geo Caching. It’s an outdoor treasure hunt where you use GPS to find a treasure box. I quit listening to the explanation after Devery said “caching” for the second time. I thought I misheard her the first time.
The Library system also has a bunch of programs for the “undersevered.” Up until last Tuesday, I thought underserved is what you get when you select the fried, rectangular fish on a Luann platter. Come to find out, it’s got other meanings. It’s somehow related to an Outreach program that Devery is deeply involved with.
The library delivers reading materials to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. I’m assuming that if you’re old enough, they’ll even keep your library card updated for you. I apparently have yet to reach that age.
Devery also mentioned a program called Library LITE. The LITE is a multi-worded acronym involving losing weight. If you scratch this thing you’re gonna find “exercise” in it somewhere. Not a big fan of forced movement.
Even in my stupor, Devery was impressing the daylights out of me. If you ever need a computer, the library will let you use one of theirs. You can even take computer lessons in the library. I’m pretty sure I’d need a lesson to find a book with the computer, ‘cause the one time I tried, I had to give up.
The nine-year-old sitting next to me would key something in and then jump up and go pick something off the shelf. I’d write something down and then wander. Finally, a library lady told me that I couldn’t find what I was looking for because the only available copy was at a different library. She pointed to the place on the computer screen where it said that. It was weird looking, or else I would’ve caught on to it. I’m not a complete idiot, you know?
I eventually asked Devery when it was that library ladies were instructed to not be so mean. She acted as if she never knew a time when library ladies were mean. Talk about a sheltered existence.
Had we had great libraries and kind librarians back when I was a kid, there’s no telling what I might have become. Less cynical? Maybe. More well read? Definitely. An avid participant in geo caching? -- Get real.
End
Mark@rooftopwriter.com and www.irlonestar.com
Mark, Devery Johnson and Cindy Cochran
From the Mark and Cindy Show irlonestar.com
Libraries are pretty much unrecognizable by those of us who are, shall we say, less young. I was raised at a time when libraries were to feared. Librarians considered kids to be little more than walking noise machines.
No more… at least not in Montgomery County, home of seven county libraries. Seven? Did you know that? Well, did you know that kids can talk and make noise on the first floor of the Central Branch Library in Conroe? No telling what they can do in the other six. I was born in the wrong decade.
I learned about the evolution of The Library from Montgomery County’s own Devery Johnson. Don’t you just love that name? Devery. She is one of the directors for the whole library system in Montgomery County… maybe even the world. I was so impressed with the girl’s knowledge that I awarded her the “world” title right there on Tuesday morning’s Mark and Cindy Show at irlonestar.com.
Oh, the stuff I learned. Did you know that the first “r” in the word “library” is not silent? I picked up on that the third time I was corrected. The most important piece of stuff I learned from Devery was the fact that my library card had expired. You’re supposed to renew them annully. That’s almost once a year.
For more than a few years, I’ve been carrying a superfluous piece of thick plastic in my wallet. That’s what you call dead wallet weight. I hate carrying wallet weight. I’m not crazy about carrying around the word “superfluous.”
Devery was unflustered and less than sympathetic about the knowledge of my expired card. She told me to go the nearest library and re-up. Won’t cost me anything. I meant to ask if the new cards are any thinner than the old ones. You could pry a spike off a railroad tie with my old one.
Devery wasn’t as interested in the tool-like applications of the library card as she was with the many services available to the bearer of one. Did you know you can check out 30 items with a library card? Not 30 books, but 30 of a combination of things. E-books, CDs, DVDs, audio books… even real books. I’m not making this up.
Do you have any idea what the late fee would be on 30 library items? For the first week it’d probably be something like a buck fifty.
I couldn’t process all of what Devery was telling me. After awhile I quit taking notes and just started sipping my coffee and nodding. I’ve got a most intellectual-looking nod. Everybody says so.
At one point I nodded at the mention of “Hip 2 Stitch.” The library has knitting and crocheting classes and sessions. They even have yarn bombings. I’d tell you more about that if I had a clue. My nod was working wonders.
They also do Geo Caching. It’s an outdoor treasure hunt where you use GPS to find a treasure box. I quit listening to the explanation after Devery said “caching” for the second time. I thought I misheard her the first time.
The Library system also has a bunch of programs for the “undersevered.” Up until last Tuesday, I thought underserved is what you get when you select the fried, rectangular fish on a Luann platter. Come to find out, it’s got other meanings. It’s somehow related to an Outreach program that Devery is deeply involved with.
The library delivers reading materials to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. I’m assuming that if you’re old enough, they’ll even keep your library card updated for you. I apparently have yet to reach that age.
Devery also mentioned a program called Library LITE. The LITE is a multi-worded acronym involving losing weight. If you scratch this thing you’re gonna find “exercise” in it somewhere. Not a big fan of forced movement.
Even in my stupor, Devery was impressing the daylights out of me. If you ever need a computer, the library will let you use one of theirs. You can even take computer lessons in the library. I’m pretty sure I’d need a lesson to find a book with the computer, ‘cause the one time I tried, I had to give up.
The nine-year-old sitting next to me would key something in and then jump up and go pick something off the shelf. I’d write something down and then wander. Finally, a library lady told me that I couldn’t find what I was looking for because the only available copy was at a different library. She pointed to the place on the computer screen where it said that. It was weird looking, or else I would’ve caught on to it. I’m not a complete idiot, you know?
I eventually asked Devery when it was that library ladies were instructed to not be so mean. She acted as if she never knew a time when library ladies were mean. Talk about a sheltered existence.
Had we had great libraries and kind librarians back when I was a kid, there’s no telling what I might have become. Less cynical? Maybe. More well read? Definitely. An avid participant in geo caching? -- Get real.
End
Mark@rooftopwriter.com and www.irlonestar.com
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