The Weeks in Library Land: November 24 to December 7

OK, we’re bending the rules here because we only visited THREE libraries over the past two weeks! So think of this as a special Thanksgiving double issue of TWILL!

The first week was Thanksgiving week so it was a short week. But, really, one library? 

At least it was a good one - and one of our favorites, the Woburn Public Library. We’re going to forgo hackneyed professions of thanks for libraries like the one in Woburn. It’s not gratitude that we feel, it’s a deep and abiding love we feel for libraries. Woburn is really high on the list of libraries we love, that’s for sure! And what’s not to love? The antique section of the building has been painstakingly restored, the new section has been designed with 21-century usage in mind and attention to detail is everywhere. 

The reconfigured mezzanine in Woburn.

We do have some slight concerns over the use and layout of the second floor in the addition. We’ve mentioned that teens aren’t allowed in the area following an apparent water balloon incident. Now, we wonder about the design choice of single seat desks where some more comfortable seating was previously found.  Library Land Score: 4.91.

The next week was only marginally better.

On Wednesday, it was a visit to the Lewis Music Library at MIT. It’s not a public library but it’s open to the public and can be a really wonderful place to get work done. Now you might imagine, what with it being a music library and all, that it would be noisy - but nothing could be further from the truth. Most patrons are wearing headphones. In fact, the loudest sound we’ve heard as been the rhythmic patter of fingers on musical and laptop keyboards. 

At least that was true until this most recent visit . . .

Up on the mezzanine (which is typically awesome) an industrial fan was hard at work trying to dry a carpet. In some environments this sound might have faded into the background, but given the typical silence of the space, it was jarring.

Fortunately, it’s no doubt a temporary thing and there was plenty of comfortable seating down on the first floor, where the noise was unobtrusive. Despite the noise, this was a successful and productive visit. 

The last library of the week was a flying visit to the Weston Public Library on Friday. It was planned as an extended writing session in the library’s very comfortable quiet reading room. When I sat down to get started, my heart sank. No computer. I leapt up in a panic and began rooting through my bag. It wasn’t in there.

“Think, think, think,” I told myself, “when did I last use it?” I realized it was the day before, in my car. I raced out to the car but didn’t see it. My computer is the portal to everything. Cold sweat as I drove home. Could I use Google to find it like a missing phone? Could I lock the system remotely? 

At home, I searched everywhere. Nothing. Nausea. I logged into a different computer to see if I could find it. No dice. In a daze. I searched the house again and then went back to the car. Oh man, there it was in a bag on the floor of the back seat. Whatever was I thinking when I put it there! All's well that ends well - and for the record, Weston is still an awesome library! Library Land Score: 4.18.

Oh, one other thing library related for the week. I got my application in for an MLS program I’m interested in. Fingers crossed!