Why do they need so many shelves then?
I must say I'm really disappointed by the state of Abbotsford's public libraries. I've been meaning to get myself back into the mode of a card-carrying library-user for a whole year now- but I finally checked out my nearest branch (Clearbrook) and was sorely disappointed. The building is nice, sure, and the location is excellent, but I swear the shelves are at most only half full of books! I went searching for a book- any book- that dealt with Han Dynasty China (or more generally, ancient China) and found nothing. In either the adult or kids' sections.
No matter, thought I, this is only the Clearbrook branch. Clearbrook is merely a small neighbourhood within the municipality of Abbotsford. I had previously driven past a bright colourful building with FVRL (Fraser Valley Regional Library) on the outside in story-high letters. "Read! Learn! Play!" it said beneath the bold letters. I found that building again, expecting to find Abbotsford's main branch library. Not so! The whole building is in fact just the administrative headquarters for the regional library system! A "helpful" employee suggested I check out their other Abbotsford locations, the "medium sized" branch in downtown Abbotsford, or the Clearbrook branch, their largest. Stuff that! I'd just been to Clearbrook! I've seen bigger libraries in the middle of the prairies!
The only library system I've seen that I can remember being more disappointed by was the Tower Hamlets "Idea Stores" in the UK. They have to call them "Idea Stores," you see, not because they're trying to be cutting edge with lots of computers and innovative strategies for integrating with the community, but because they hardly have any books inside. Libraries have books inside, "Idea Stores" have... empty space for ideas to float around or something I guess. The architecture looks great in background shots of city councilors shaking hands with wealthy philanthropists, but no one seems much concerned with putting honest-to-goodness books in the hands of East Londoners.
Or Abbotsfordians, apparently. Maybe I'll have better luck if I drive to Langley? I don't want to have to drive all the way to Vancouver just to find a flipping library book. Come on Fraser Valley! With your fancy monster homes and your SUVs and your Starbuckses! You can do better!!! ;__;
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jdalton) wrote,
