I Feel The Need, The Need To Read!

I'm officially a resident of Brooklyn. It's not because I signed a lease nor is it because my pay stub says so.



I now have a Brooklyn Public Library card.

The city is a bit more lax about who they give library cards to. I applied online, it was mailed to my apartment, I activated it. No fuss, no muss.
No more of this "need to show proof of residency with a utility bill" sort of deal. Granted, it's a real card and not one of those mini cards that attach to my key chain, but I'll deal.

There are 65 branches all over Brooklyn, and lucky for me there is one just a quick jog away in Carroll Gardens. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got there. I've grown up with big, suburban libraries with thousands of books, multiple floors and plenty of room to find a corner and read for a while.

This library was an eighth the size of the libraries in Rockland. When you walk in and can see the entire stock of books and everything else it offers without turning your head, you know it's a small library. I tried looking up books they might have in their online catalog, but most of the ones I looked up where not there or out of stock. So I instead sifted through the shelves, hoping something would catch my eye. I got lucky and found what must be a brand-new copy of The Time Traveler's Wife. It's a perfect paperback copy that nicely fits in my bag for work.

Now I shouldn't completely judge this library. There are 64 other branches I could try. And honestly, my whole county had maybe 20 libraries, so kudos to Brooklyn for using the "more branches, fewer books, more convenience" route. So this isn't exactly the branch that I'd go to and find a quiet space and read for an hour. I'll go in, hopefully find my books, and head out. Like their cards, "no fuss, no muss."

But this library did provide me with something that's been missing for a while. It gave me a sense of community. I'm starting to feel like I fit in (minus the whole "hipster" vibe) in Brooklyn. People walking their dogs/babies down the streets smile as I walk by. My apartment feels like a home. And now with this new library card, I can fill it with some great reading material.