The local librarian, I'm not sure that is the proper title anymore, perhaps Media Specialist is what the job is now, has retired. I know this gentleman and his name is Richard. A pleasant sort of fellow and always a professional. He was there when Greensboro opened it's library. The library is the north branch of the Caroline County Library. I saw Richard at the store where I work and asked him how the library business was going, that is when I found out about his retirement. During the conversation he told me that Greensboro's library was the first library in Caroline County to never have had a card catalog ! Since the door opened it has been on the computer. If memory serves that was in 1997. I sure hope that electronic card catalog is backed up somewhere.
That short conversation lead me to post a few thoughts about what the grandchildren may never see or do. It turned out to be quite a thread. I am still seeing comments on it. One comment I left came as a direct result of talking with this librarian. The library, at least the north county branch, does not have newspapers on a stick. I expect that going to the library to read the newspaper is a thing of the past. Now I imagine a digital subscription and a laptop is all that is required.
Here is a scene I'm sure the grandchildren will never see but one I experienced. In the library there was a room reserved for reading. This room was for adults only and very quiet and dignified. I remember gentlemen sitting in that room reading the New York Times and smoking a pipe ! Yes, they were allowed to smoke ! Pipes and cigars were quite a common sight. Regular cigarettes were tolerated but a bit crass for a true gentleman. Those cigarettes were for the lower classes. Ladies may smoke a cigarette but it should be in a holder. Tobacco stains on white gloves was very, shall we say, bourgeoisie. Eyebrows would certainly be raised. As the gentlemen came and went not a word was spoken just a nod acknowledging their arrival or departure. The silence of that room was only broken by the rustle of the paper or the puffing on the pipe. I always figured they were some important gentlemen in that room,probably rich folks. Who else would have the time to just sit and read the paper,especially the New York Times.
Perhaps that reading room still exists at that library. I'm sure that it must. The Hedges room was the name of it if I remember correctly. I never went in there, only peeked inside. I hung out in the general area were the reference materials were kept. Encyclopedia's and such. The grandkids may see a set of encyclopedias but doubt if they ever use them. A dictionary may be the same way. I know my parents had a copy of Webster's Complete Dictionary of the English language. It was quite thick and covered in brown leatherette. It got used often in my school days. I often stumbled upon words in there I hadn't intended on finding and got distracted. There are some funny words in there. We also had a set of medical encyclopedias, I would check the illustrations in there, very informative.
I would say the kids today are missing out a bit. I stumbled across a lot of interesting things in my searches for school work. When you had to turn the pages by hand,not quickly scroll, you did have the chance to scan the pages. My eyes would catch an interesting illustration or phrase. Holding those books in your hands is different from hovering fingers over a keyboard.
It is true that we were censored a bit more than in today's world. Those sort of books and magazines were not readily available. The sears catalog, particularity the women"s lingerie section, sufficed. Certain magazines could be viewed in the seedier sections of society. At least that is what I heard. That certainly has changed and not to the benefit of society I might add.
Could it be that we are just going too fast ? The access to all this information, at breakneck speeds, is causing us to miss a lot. Like taking a drive in the country, you need to slow down to enjoy it. I found many interesting things in my journeys through the card catalog. Sometimes it is a good thing to get distracted.
That short conversation lead me to post a few thoughts about what the grandchildren may never see or do. It turned out to be quite a thread. I am still seeing comments on it. One comment I left came as a direct result of talking with this librarian. The library, at least the north county branch, does not have newspapers on a stick. I expect that going to the library to read the newspaper is a thing of the past. Now I imagine a digital subscription and a laptop is all that is required.
Here is a scene I'm sure the grandchildren will never see but one I experienced. In the library there was a room reserved for reading. This room was for adults only and very quiet and dignified. I remember gentlemen sitting in that room reading the New York Times and smoking a pipe ! Yes, they were allowed to smoke ! Pipes and cigars were quite a common sight. Regular cigarettes were tolerated but a bit crass for a true gentleman. Those cigarettes were for the lower classes. Ladies may smoke a cigarette but it should be in a holder. Tobacco stains on white gloves was very, shall we say, bourgeoisie. Eyebrows would certainly be raised. As the gentlemen came and went not a word was spoken just a nod acknowledging their arrival or departure. The silence of that room was only broken by the rustle of the paper or the puffing on the pipe. I always figured they were some important gentlemen in that room,probably rich folks. Who else would have the time to just sit and read the paper,especially the New York Times.
Perhaps that reading room still exists at that library. I'm sure that it must. The Hedges room was the name of it if I remember correctly. I never went in there, only peeked inside. I hung out in the general area were the reference materials were kept. Encyclopedia's and such. The grandkids may see a set of encyclopedias but doubt if they ever use them. A dictionary may be the same way. I know my parents had a copy of Webster's Complete Dictionary of the English language. It was quite thick and covered in brown leatherette. It got used often in my school days. I often stumbled upon words in there I hadn't intended on finding and got distracted. There are some funny words in there. We also had a set of medical encyclopedias, I would check the illustrations in there, very informative.
I would say the kids today are missing out a bit. I stumbled across a lot of interesting things in my searches for school work. When you had to turn the pages by hand,not quickly scroll, you did have the chance to scan the pages. My eyes would catch an interesting illustration or phrase. Holding those books in your hands is different from hovering fingers over a keyboard.
It is true that we were censored a bit more than in today's world. Those sort of books and magazines were not readily available. The sears catalog, particularity the women"s lingerie section, sufficed. Certain magazines could be viewed in the seedier sections of society. At least that is what I heard. That certainly has changed and not to the benefit of society I might add.
Could it be that we are just going too fast ? The access to all this information, at breakneck speeds, is causing us to miss a lot. Like taking a drive in the country, you need to slow down to enjoy it. I found many interesting things in my journeys through the card catalog. Sometimes it is a good thing to get distracted.
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