When I was a little kid in Tamaqua, I loved going to the little markets that had a penny candy counter. My friends and I would scoop up whatever spare change we could scrounge, hop on our bikes and then stare at the smorgasbord of candy selections behind the glass center until the owner had time to help us. Then we’d carefully make our selections:
- 2 red hot dollars
- 2 flying saucers with the little balls inside
- 10 pieces of shoestring licorie
- A pack of Candy cigarettes
- One row of wax bottles filled with “juice”
- 3 carmel creme swirl things
- A box of jujubees
- One Snickers bar
The owner would hand us our little brown bags of delight, collect our change and send us on our way. It was amazing how far a handful of change would buy back then.
Those penny candy stores have long since closed. Besides, I don’t eat candy anymore.
But I still get to feel like a little kid in the candy store today when I visit the library.
I start by checking out the “new books” and “staff recommendations” shelves near the front door. Then, I make my way around the “seasonal tables” the librarians update every few weeks with books centered around new themes. Eventually, I meander up and down the nonfiction aisles perusing everything from business to history to mathematics to self-help and philosophy, pulling out dozens of books to read their jackets and first few pages to see if it piques my interest. I keep a list on my phone of authors, titles and subjects I want to check out too.
As much as enjoy the casual browsing, I also reserve books and can even order books from other libraries! I basically have access to 95% of anything I want to read. And it is free!
I have loved libraries since I got my first card when I was around 5 years old. That part of the kid in me has never grown up.
