Over the last year you have probably been watching with growing anticipation the construction of the North University Community Library in Nobel Park next to Nobel Drive in University City. In case you’ve been wondering if it would ever be finished, there’s good news. The big event is almost here.
A new library is cause for celebrating. Consider what libraries used to be like. The changes that time and technology have brought to libraries are astonishing. Here is the recollection of the way things used to be, by a longtime UC resident and member of the Friends of the North University Community Library:
“Where I grew up, there was only one library in town. It was a forbidding stone building, dark both inside and out and oppressively quiet. I remember the first time my mother introduced me to the institution’s ancient librarian and the musty stacks of books that looked and smelled like they had never seen sunlight or been exposed to the corrupting insinuation of fresh air.
"The librarian was about 4 feet tall. Her white hair was tightly wound into a braided helmet that warned children to say nothing above a whisper. Her face was stern and unforgiving. She might force a weak smile when she handed a child a new library card, but she would make it clear that she wasn’t all that happy to have someone small like me poking around among her treasured collection of books. And then you had to confront the card catalogue that squatted like a sleeping monster ready to pounce on any child who dared to probe its secrets with fingers that were less than clean.”
Those days are gone and libraries are brighter and more inviting. The old, crotchety variety of librarian is a thing of the past. Librarians don’t go around saying “shh!” all the time. Instead, they believe they are there to be helpful. There are special reading areas for children, computer rooms, open stacks for browsing, quiet reading areas with comfortable chairs and plenty of natural light. There are small meeting rooms for book clubs and large meeting rooms for lectures and musical performances and just about any other event you might want to plan. The library, of course, offers a wide range of materials beside books, including periodicals, audio books, digital videos, art exhibits, and opportunities for people to volunteer to make services available to other members of the community who would welcome some help. Some libraries offer access to a coffee service to make the library experience even more enjoyable.
And in case I forgot to mention it, all this and more will soon be available at the North University Community Library. You can find this waiting for you in University City at the center of Nobel Park at the intersection of Nobel and Judicial Drives, just west of the 805.
So don’t miss the festivities. Come and participate in the grand opening at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. There is plenty of free parking. You may find that one visit is not enough and may even decide to make this your home away from home, which, after all, is what libraries are supposed to be.
” Barbara Kelly is the newsletter editor and publicity chair for the Friends of the North University Community Library group, which meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the library. The next meeting is Sept. 26, 6:30 to 8 p.m. For information call chair Mary Langhoff, (858) 587-0594.