And I am pretty sure I am not alone in this respect.
There's something about the gathering of all of those wonderful ideas into one place and the quiet and the smell of the books that makes it all damn near spiritual for me. I believe if promise had a smell, it would be that of a library. As a child it was always one of my favorite places to be. As an adult, it still is.
So while on my staycation, I just had to go check out my favorite library that had finally been reopened after a long, long period of renovations. After entering, I didn't even recognize the place. Now it kind of feels like you are walking into a Borders bookstore. And that is fine by me--makes my favorite place even nicer to visit. It is now an even prettier place to 'come home' to.
I really wanted to take out "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh as it has been remade (yet again) into a movie and I want to read the book before seeing the movie. (Otherwise, I know I will never read the book). Anyway, there was a problem--somehow my library card had expired. How does this happen? Well, apparently you just have to avoid using your card for three years and it does it on its own.
Had I really not taken a book out in three years? In my mind, that's damn near blasphemy.
So I obviously needed a new card but in order to get one, I also needed a NJ license which I still don't have. The woman at the desk let me in on a little secret--if I mailed myself a postcard at my Dad's address (where they think I am still living and where I am more than fine with them thinking so) then they could use that as proof of my residence.
"Just out of curiosity, " I asked, "what does it cost to get a library card if you don't live in an appropriate town?"
"One hundred dollars," she replied. Then she lowered her voice and said, "So you should really do the postcard thing."
So I did. To review:
Cost of mailing myself a postcard to verify my address:$.30
Cost of a library card without proof of residence: $100 dollars
Being let back into your favorite club in the world for free: priceless.
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