Non-Fiction Tuesday

The highlight of the rally last week to support public library funding was delivered by a seventh grader. She drew a collective gasp - then enthusiastic cheers - by asking why our state government would support casinos but not public libraries.

It's nice to see the kids actively engaged in civic issues, instead of taking up the habits of indifferent suburbanites - or professional complainers.

So today, for the second day in a row, I am on my lunch break at the downtown library, typing away on a screen shaped like a wavy trapezoid (which no amount of fiddling with the monitor will correct). To my left are three young men wearing pantyhose ghutras enjoying games on Macromedia Flash. To my right is a man, wet with perspiration, who is - from the stacks of paper and the glimpse I saw of his screen - trying to run an entire small business on eBay.

Sure the computers are popular. And sure this is downtown.

But the place is busy. I've seen people with GED and job training manuals, students with book stacks at the copiers, and study groups. I walked past what looked like a class field trip, and overheard what appeared to be an animated exchange between two old men (one white, one black, both wearing tube socks) debating the merits of Dean Koontz. And of course the customer service at the circulation desk left something to be desired, but what do you expect?

It can't be any worse then we're getting from Columbus. Which reminds me - I wonder if our state officials ever visit this place.