[leebase]

I was born a poor black child. Ok...no I wasn't...and neither was Steve Martin (if you don't get the reference, google it).

I was born and raised working class. Neither of my parents graduated high school, though both got their GED's later in life. My mom read books, but I wasn't raised with her. I don't think I ever saw my dad or step mother read a book.

I, however, had an affinity for books from as early as I can remember. I loved the school library. I loved the Weekly Reader and saved my pennies to buy books. I was a library cadet from as young as they started all the way through high school.

One year, in our small town of 1,100 people, they set up a library in a closed store front for the summer. I spent every day in that library reading books. Or at home reading the books I checked out. My step mom would have to chase me out of the house "go play, let the wind blow the stink off ya". I'd take my book and go read outside.

At the time, I was really into old westerns. Old because all the books were old. I don't know why for the Westerns part....I hadn't discovered Sci-Fi yet.

At the end of the summer the town had a vote whether to keep the library going or not. The measure failed by one vote. Neither of my dad nor my step mother bothered to go vote. There went our library.

It never occurred to me to keep going to the library after college. By then, I could buy my own books. I live in a fairly well to do suburb now and it has an excellent library....several branches in the same town for convenience. I used to take my kids occasionally when they were little.

Maybe when I retire and am on fixed income (my retirement years are not looking golden at all)...I'll go back to being a library customer.

So that's my sad tale. I love libraries. I love them even if I couldn't care less whether they carry enough of the latest Oprah book.