Books for Free?!?

“I’ve not been a member of a library since I was about ten years old so I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I figured you’d have to pay something to join and something to take each book out and it would take ages like everything else does to join or sign up for nowadays. So I was stunned when the lady behind the counter explained it was free to take a book out, free to join and you could prolong your borrowing of a particular book beyond the three week deadline online. Plus you can order a book and they’ll get it in for you for 80p. So that was it, all of it’s free. No wonder those that use libraries regularly are up in arms about proposed closures of them. It just strikes me as something a nation can boast about – we lend people books for free” – James Brown

Having grown up in libraries, I don’t remember the first time I realised, with awe, the wonder of being able to take a book, or even a pile of books, home for no charge whatsoever. In our world where everything has a cost, this is a rare and wonderful concept. For that short time, you can have those books in your home and you can explore them at your leisure, diving between the pages and immersing yourself in that strange new world. I often forget how unique this concept is and it is certainly difficult to put myself into that child mind in which I can truly appreciate what this service means.

I was reminded of this awe a few days ago when I was waiting at the circulation desk for service behind a young mother and her 3-4 year old child. He wore his mother’s handbag over one shoulder, he was hugging four books to his chest and it was becoming clear that this was four more than he could hold at once with ease, but when his mother reached down to take the books from him he squalled as though she was tearing life itself from his grasp. She dropped down to squat before him and held out her hands, while explaining that they were taking the books home for a while and he would get to read them as much as he wanted. The boy slowly placed the books in his mother’s hands and then grappled with her handbag, handing her wallet to her (an obviously practised pastime for them). The mother smiled and laughed and said that they didn’t have to pay dollar-dollars this time. The librarian was going to let them take the books for free. In an almost comical fashion, the boys arms dropped to his sides and his mouth fell open in a gaping ‘O’ as he realised what this meant. The mother quickly completed the loan, but throughout that process and all the way to the exit as she led him by the hand, the boy carried the face of astonishment and kept looking back at the circulation desk as if to make sure that this was real.

This little moment made me grin from ear to ear and it made me think of how truly astonishing this service is, when it comes down to it. Everything has a cost. Everything must make a profit. We have been told this throughout our lives and it has been confirmed by the services offered to us, so it is no small wonder that when encountering the library service for the first time, astonishment prevails.