Have you ever been in a brand new public library before? A library in it’s infancy, only a few days old?

I had the chance today to do just that. Our squalling, red-faced neighborhood library branch was born last Friday. It was so cool to see all the materials before they were checked out and picked over, marked up and torn down, or drooled on and flung around by book-crazed toddlers. The library features:

• rows and rows of new books

 

• a huge number of DVDs and audiobooks

• a legion of computer workstations, both kid and adult sized

• a conveyor belt behind the book drop

• an inviting fireplace surrounded by still-pristine, comfy seating

• lots of natural light

• helpful librarians waiting to direct you to the young adult section that’s hidden around a corner like it’s harboring erotica

I rode my bike over, checked out a huge stack of stuff with my children and my friend Jenny, and rode back, all the while having flashbacks of the intense pleasure of checking out a stack of books with my mom and sister when I was a kid. The feeling that I’d won the literary lottery hasn’t changed. (We won’t talk about the fact that my childhood predated DVDs, audiobooks, and desktop computers. No, we really don’t need to go there.)

Having a new library in the hood is sweet. Thank you Denver Public Libraries – you done good.