Love Hate Relationship

The Broomfield library is such a contradictory place. They have a huge selection of books, but the first thing you see as you walk in is a big room full of educational toys. Don't get me wrong, we love the toys. But my kids are not thrilled to be dragged away from them after 30 minutes to go look at books. Then, as you walk into the children's book area, the first obstacle is the row of computers loaded with kids' games.

It's just frustrating since the reason I go there is to give our kids a larger selection of books and to impress them with the wonder of an entire building full of books that we can read for free. I loved the Stillwater public library as a kid. When I was a young teen my mom or brother would drop me off there in the morning and I would stay until they closed, snuggled down deep between towering shelves with only a Jessica-sized space between them, the sun light barely filtering in through tiny windows.

I loved the smell and the quiet. My house was always so noisy with TVs blaring in every room and everyone shouting at each other all the time. The library was an oasis to me. Later, that library was sold several times. It's a beautiful old tan brick building. When I was 18 and just graduated from high school I got a job there with the computer software design company that owned it at that time. I was a tester, trying out all the buttons and drop down menus to see if they did what they were supposed to do. It wasn't the same sitting in a cubicle, but I could feel the bones of the place, and it felt good to be back. Hopefully, I'll be able to instill that same love for libraries in my children. It probably won't be at the Broomfield library, though.