back to the library

this post is dedicated to a librarian.

i havent been inside a library in years. there was just no need to visit a library. information and entertainment of the printed kind are so conveniently within reach c/o the internet, bookstores, etc.

but two weeks ago, i stepped inside a library again and borrowed a book! the need came because i've started teaching again. the syllabus i inherited listed down some books on the course that were newly acquired by the school's library (read: not available at different bookstore, powerbooks, etc.) as i was being oriented by the assistant dean, i was introduced to the librarian and was shown the newly-acquired books. i borrowed one primarily because i was in a hurry to finish my lesson plan.

the library, as i remember it, hasnt changed much. the tables and chairs, so orderly arranged, the rows of boookcases, the silence. but i did notice more workstations for the internet. i got my book and went home. ive read parts of it and have prepared my lesson plan. and i will be returning the book within the week.

when i was taking my mba, the library was simply the aircon place for me to read newspapers without buying. and the only place where i could read the output of other students (theses).

does the library occupy any space in my life?

as i think about it, it may start to occupy some space. i may actually start visiting the library more and more... for the following reasons:

- i got a small space. i cant hoard and hoard books. id have to be very choosy about the books i will own (and these will be the ones i am SURE to read again). so for everything else, perhaps i will go to the library.
- and aside from the storage, the fact that i could read for free is certainly appealing.
- ill be in school anyway so i dont have to worry about parking, etc.

why would i hesistate to visit the library?
- pressure to read and return. if i buy a book, i have all the time in the world to read it at my pace. borrowing a book gives me a definite time frame. sus! i-pressure ba ako.
- inconvenient. where do i park? id have to go out of my way to visit. wish there were libraries in malls. hahaha. or place i would frequent (churches, bars? haha)
- my old concept of masungit librarians. this however has been debunked very recently.
- horror movies. scenes of faces peering between books on a shelf... stalkers following you while you browse from shelf to shelf. hahaha

well, i am giving the library another chance to be part of my life. let's see how it turns out...

images c/o seattle public library