Why I love a public library

Right now, I am working in a high school library, but my first love and the place to which I hope one day to return is the public library. Most people have their first library experience in a public library. They show up as little kids for story time or for the kindergarten tour. What draws me to the public library is its accessibility and its diversity. You can find a range of reading/audio/video/etc. material for all reading levels, interests, fiction and non-fiction. You will be able to access scholarly journals and the latest in horror fiction in the same building. It's a democratic cross-section of its community. When you walk through the doors, the world is waiting for you, quite literally. You won't find everything on a particular topic like you might in a specialized library or even an academic library, but you won't ever go home empty-handed. Also, in a public library lasting relationships develop between the patrons and the librarians. You watch them grow up, you learn their reading interests, you help them get through their projects and teach them how to email their grandchildren or create their first facebook account. The public library is the place that keeps their information as safely and sacredly as it does Hegel's or Piaget's. It notes their comings and goings, passing, births, and accomplishments. From the bulletin board inside the front door posting flyers for local poetry readings and knitting groups to the overloaded book cart in the back hallway, I love a public library.