Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Strnad
I have very fond memories of my town's neighborhood library, of sometimes making the trip to the "big" library downtown, and of going to the library for research, including research on how to become a professional writer. But I have to admit, when I want to know something now, I hit the internet rather than the streets. I let my library card expire and just re-upped recently so that I could...what else?...check out ebooks.
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I took advantage of an unexpected free day to drive into the Bronx to get a NYC library card (for access to their large ebook collection).
At 3:30 on a weekday, the place was *packed* with people (I had to wait in line 15 minutes to apply for my card). Every computer station was being used. Kids and teens were checking laptops in/out at a side desk for on-site use. The kids' reading area was full of kids reading and playing. There was a reasonably large collection of board games being used. It was boisterous and a bit noisy (not so loud people wouldn't be able to think, but, no one was being told to lower their voices). However, I couldn't have told you where the reference desk was, and the books in my line of sight seemed to be mostly popular reading (no visible stacks of obvious reference books).
It felt more like a community center than what I equate with a library. So, it was good to see the library being used and clearly an important resource for the community, but I still felt a little sad that it didn't have a hushed, academic aura.
My local library does maintain the strict "Quiet" rules and the research desk and research stacks are quite prominently placed near the entryway. The popular literature and kiddy room are tucked away on different floors. It's also fairly empty at any time.