When I was growing up, we had to use the county library because our city didn't have its own library. So we went to what was known as Headquarters (there were many libraries in this particular county and this was the "main" one.. I promise I didn't make up the name). We didn't get to go to the library too often because my mom had (probably still has) a strange fear that we were going to lose a library book and have to pay hundreds of dollars for it.. This might be because she is really forgetful (drives me nuts) and I don't think we ever had a library book that didn't have a late fee associated with it.
Anyway - our library growing up had this really creepy, isolated section for Non-Fiction. It always reminded me of the scene in Ghostbusters when Slimer slimes that old lady and the card catalog goes bananas. I never mosey-ed around Non-Fiction much as a kid. I was far too busy with RL Stine or Christopher Pike to be meddling in non-fiction, but every once in a while, I would have to go looking for my mom or older sister and there I would be, 11 years old with my backpack purse (filled with necessary things, I'm sure) and jean shorts (jorts, if you will) hoping and praying that the card catalog would stay put, the lights would stay on, and Slimer would NOT chase me.
Now I have a very healthy relationship with my library. I go to the library about once a week. I LOVE going to the library. I almost always leave with someone I didn't plan on getting - and the library is one of the few places where you don't feel guilty about this, since the library is FREE. Not only can you get books for free, but magazines, movies and cds too! I even had my taxes done for free at the library during my college years.
I get a happy feeling every time I drive past the library. If I drive past it when I have people in my car who aren't from here, I point it out to them.
Paradise will totally be a kind of library.
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