hell hath no fury, or something like that (just hand over the library card and no one gets hurt)

Back when Mama was a wee miss, she discovered she had a thing for the written word.

Many written words.

All the time.



I'm nestled around the corner, hiding from the matronly mamas.

It could be said that I have a bit of obsession, really.

So it should not come as a surprise to find that right after securing a place to sleep, and some nominal amount of food in the fridge after any move, I scour the earth for the nearest library. I found mine within hours of arriving in Eugene, in the phone book, old school style.

I took my first mortgage payment stub with me - to prove residency - and the kids and we marched on in, all ready to begin our love affair with our new library system only to be turned away.

Turns out that buying a house in the area is shaky ground, however, a rental/lease agreement would be an in as would a personal letter addressed to me from any old Joe the Letter Writer.

Now those that know me in the flesh, know I can sometimes be too quick to accept a 'no'. I am easy-going like that. But after going several days of unpacking and cleaning without an audio book had taken a toll on me and I found myself arguing that I had used this information to register the kids at school, and that I love books, and that I am trustworthy, yet, nutty book lady, and that no I don't want the stupid piece of paper you keep waving at me.

(Please note: No librarians were injured or insulted during the showdown. I was desperate, but I can't be mean to any librarian, no matter how stubborn she seems to be, especially considering she holds the golden ticket to the goods.)

So I stalked my mailbox for more mail. I complained on Facebook and rallied support from my librarians back home. And when I had a nice stack of mail, addressed to me, showing I am in it to win it here in their fair town, we drove down to the luxurious downtown library where the sullen help there handed me a card.

(Where are the happy book people? I haven't met up with them yet.)
She is worth the wait, no? Better still, there were vegan cupcakes in the cafe, located in the foyer. And to prove myself worthy of citizenship, I supported the local economy and bought one, of course.

Oh the joy.



Took this one on my phone; it is breathtaking...




Comments

Unknown said…
Sorry about the bad librarian experience. You know we are not all like that! And wow is that library gorgeous. Maybe it's so big that the library staff feel anonymous and don't make that connection to the patrons.
Lia Hollander said…
What a lovely library! I go to mine at least 1x a week. Obsessed? Yes. :)
Mrs. G. said…
I understand this completely. I listen to This American Life when I'm in need.
Jenny O said…
Oh my! What a gorgeous Place of Books. My most-frequented library is about to shut down for a month (::sniffle::) but then she shall re-open in her lovely new in-a-forest digs! Yay libraries!
Shana said…
That is quite a swank library. They must have known you were coming to town, and gussied the place up. Which caused extra work for the librarians, and made them cranky. And resentful. So really, you're the victim of a grand plan to greet you gone horribly wrong.
slow panic said…
That is a nice library. I love love love the library. Try to get their as much as possible.
Stu said…
That is nice. Now if I only read...
Congrats on the new library cards-now just don't forget that the Oregon library will charge you late fees the first day they are late! Oh, how I love the Fort Vancouver Library system. They just send you emails asking you to pretty please return the book as soon as you can :) I think I spend equal amounts of time between the online library hold system and Amazon. I mostly use Amazon to read reviews and make a wish list so that I know what books I want to bother checking out.
stephanie said…
Beautiful - both the library and your grace in the face of rudeness & insanity. You are a better woman than I.

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