Library Cheerleader

I have been having some interesting lunches lately. Today was especially good because I got to talk with a complete stranger about...you guessed it! BOOKS!

You have no idea what a thrill this is for me. As a life-long library cheerleader, I want to shout, "READ THIS!" at the same intensity level as one of those scantily-clad girls on the Cowboys' sidelines who shout, "GO TEAM!"

So, I am walking into the restaurant holding my recent read, and I am caught by a woman who says, "I have been meaning to read that." Well, that's all it took.

We ordered lunch and sat together and talked about not only that book, but about 50 more titles, which we scribbled on napkins. Of course, we couldn't think of complete titles or authors' names, but that's ok! Some of the best book ideas (and future date phone numbers!) have been documented on napkins.

So I asked where she gets her books. She had the nerve to mention the Barnes & Noble at Easton. WHAT?! She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with the #1 library in the nation, and she BUYS her books?

After she calms me down, she tells me that she also goes to the library. *sigh of relief* Good thing...I was about to kidnap her and drive her to the closest library and show her all of its goodness, Vanna White style.

Still, sometimes she would rather fight Columbus traffic (especially at Easton) and pay outrageous prices for her books than to get them for free at the library.

I still don't understand it. WHY? But hey, it's her choice.

Then I remember the size of my own bookcases. And the piles of Bobbi-owned books at home. And the current status of my nightstand with my own books piled upon it, waiting patiently to be read and scribbled in.

We talked for nearly an hour about books. Religious, suspenseful, and funny titles abounded as the cashier and our fries listened intently.

My point, and I do have one, is that you can be your library PR person without having the title of PR person. You can be a library evangelist no matter where you go. You can get ideas in strange places about how libraries can serve the people and take those ideas back to your library and IMPLEMENT THEM.

While I am not sure of her name, I do appreciate that she took time to share her readings and library experiences with me. As she rode off into the noonday sun carrying her pile of napkins and MY BOOK (that I purchased and not borrowed from the library) in her backpack, I hope that I have given her the titles of her next several great reads. And I also hope that she can hear my voice in her head the next time she walks into the library and books begin to jump out at her saying, "READ THIS!"
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