I went to the library this last weekend to grab a couple of books. I’m the type who is always trying to learn new things, usually new computer tricks, and if there’s one thing I refuse to do, it’s pay full price for a ridiculously expensive software manual without at least trying it out first. And so to the library I go, where I often wonder why anybody even bothers going to school with all this completely free knowledge just sitting here..(but that’s another post). What I noticed most as I happened upon a busy time of day at the checkout counter was disappointing to say the least.
Movies. Every Single person in line in front of me (and behind me for that matter) had armloads of movies. I saw maybe two books actually leave the building that day. People actually bring their little reusable bags and fill them to the brim. And so of course I decided I too would go up on the film and computer floor and check it out.
The Blockbuster-like quality of my public library is astounding. Avatar, No Country For Old Men, The Complete Julia Child Cooking Series, and every other title, just released or classics, was on the shelves. Awestruck as I was that I could take out 10 DVDs at a time and not have to wait for Netflix delivery, I really had to wonder if this was a good idea.
Part of me thinks its fantastic: I have a rather tight budget at times, along with a lot of other people these days, and going to the movies at 10 bucks a pop just isn’t an option very often. But shouldn’t all people get to have access to media like these films? I happen to think so. And shouldn’t it be an excellent promotional idea to get people into the library, thereby making them more likely to check out some of its other resources? Well I can confirm by the number of people in there that it definitely is.
But how come the only people in there with books were students forced to be there? These kids are paying schools thousands and thousands of dollars to be told to come right back to the FREE. PUBLIC. LIBRARY. I wonder if they even get the irony.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just one of those Kindle haters that can’t keep up with the times, but something about seeing one book get checked out for probably every 25 movies just made me a little sad.
