Outside of academic and/or campus libraries, I just don't hear of many people going to local libraries anymore...if they have one of their area. Libraries have become rather obsolete, nonexistent and/or antiquated in many locations and if they do exist, it seems a small percentage of people really seek out the comfort, space and benefits of a library atmosphere.
Maybe today's libraries need to be revamped and promoted in a different way to attract younger people.
The reality is that today's generation just doesn't read nearly as much as previous generations. Funding cuts have undermined the development, maintenance and promotion of public libraries in many areas. Furthermore, bookstores have taken the place of libraries to a large degree. Bookstores have the coffee and cafe section, areas with music and magazines, and tables and chairs set up to entice people to stay, lounge, read and hopefully make purchases. Yep, they are semi-functional modern-day libraries
I've always loved going to libraries .When I was younger, trips to the library were definitely excursions I always looked forward to when my father took me along. He'd often go for job-related research material and downtime.
I was fascinated with getting my hands on all sorts of reading material, especially if the material was very offbeat, controversial and related to medicine. I'd look at a lot of psychology books and journals and seek out medical publications featuring pictures, descriptions and explanations for various skin diseases and illnesses. The images would often be bizarre and unsettling, but I'd find myself extremely drawn to viewing and reading about them regardless. I remember that I'd always hide these books from my father, once I saw him approaching, because I knew he'd disapprove of me looking at books he considered inappropriate. Pictures of men with pus-leaking and scab-covered penises and torsos were not images he would have approved of no matter how medical the book was in context. LOL!!
Exploring the interior of large libraries was an extra delight. I'd love getting lost in the meandering hallways, numerous floors, back rooms, quiet and mysterious conference rooms and the sections with periodicals and references. When it was time to leave, I couldn't wait to check out some of my selections especially since using my library card made me feel so giddy. Having a library card was like having a credit/cash card and going to the library was like shopping. Coming home from the library with reading goods to indulge in was euphoric.
I miss that...
These trips were also very much like the trips to my father's office. He'd take me during weekends when very few people were there and I'd run around exploring all of the desks and areas in the building while he worked in his office. I'd find all sorts of things on people's desks - jars of candy, cookies in tin containers, unusually shaped erasers, colored pencils, bright neon markers and pens and so forth. At some point, I'd spend the rest of the time there drawing and playing around on some of the white boards, with markers I retrieved from my father's desk. It was very much like an adventure. I am sure that when everyone came back into office, they were puzzled as to why some of their desk treats were missing or less in number. Blame it on the elusive office elf...
I'd love to see a resurgence of library culture and popularity...outside of academic settings.
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