Libraries should be more openly recognized by those of us who love to read. We take for granted that we can walk into libraries, at home or in far-away places, sit down and begin to use words - to read and to send out or receive communication. And for free!
We assume that will be available when we want it - no, "need it." But I have found it to be a lovely luxury, which I appreciate even more now that my month-long trip is about to come to an end. I can read a magazine or a newspaper, even if I am not eligible to check out a book. But nothing is actually free.
A government entity makes the library happen with local tax dollars. So, for all of the blog readers in all the communities that bloggers reach, thanks for paying your taxes so I - and my fellow vagabonds - can simply take going online for granted when I visit your town. Or I can sit down in a lovely reading corner, and quietly get back in touch with the written word.
But the transaction is not complete. To you "vagabonds," how about putting a small donation in the box on the friendly librarian's desk as you leave? It will not fully compensate for the service you received from the public library, but your gesture will be appreciated.
To those of you who are local, you can rest easy. Your tax dollars have paid for the service. Even if you are not a property owner, you pay your way via sales taxes and the extra fees your landlord adds to the rent you are charged.
So visit your local library, or an unfamiliar one far away. And make sure you complete the transaction properly. Say thanks in a warm way or with something for the box. Such small things are what help perpetuate a civil world with balanced transactions.
I'm headed home.
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