Olney Library Kiosk -- More Than Expected

The Olney Library's kiosk has finally been set up at the Longwood Recreation Center; maybe now I can cut down on my treks to the Howard County library in Glenwood.

Yesterday on my way home from Glenwood, I passed by Longwood to retrieve a MCPL book on Hold. I didn't know what to expect at the kiosk/MCPL Express @ Olney. At first, the setup was what I predicted: 2 carts of books, a book return dropbox, and a vending machine that dispenses books and media instead of candy and chips.

Then I saw the wall of lockers containing materials on Hold for pickup. Following directions on an electronic keypad, I typed in my MC library card's last 4 digits and heard a low "Click" ... then a door swung open slowly and silently, like a James Bond gadget. I reached in and took out my book, expecting the door to mysteriously close by itself. Well, it didn't; I'm simply closed it myself.

But wait, there's more. A large box beside the vending machine is a DVD dispenser! I could search for any DVD in the MCPL system and if the DVD dispenser had it, I could borrow it. The DVD dispenser is like a public Redbox, but with no rental fee and a borrowing time of more than 1 night (up to 3 weeks)! Then I perused the small selection of books on the carts and found the bestselling hard-to-find-unless-you-order-it-as-an-ebook erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey ... which of course I had to borrow just to see what all the fuss is about.

Enough about my reading tastes: I encourage Olney residents to visit the MCPL Express @ Olney at Longwood. Of course it can't replace our beloved library, but at last Olney has a substitute that offers something for everyone, including children's, young adult and adult fiction and nonfiction, audiobooks, and DVDs. Happy reading, listening and viewing!

Library Traitor

On December 2, 2010, Robin (noteverstill) wrote for this blog about her wistful last visit to the Olney library. Like her, I miss the place. It was a second home to me; I spent hours poring through its collections and working on FOL's used book sale. The staff became old friends and I ran into so many long-lost Olney pals. Now every time I drive by the shuttered Olney library, I feel a twinge of sadness mixed with guilt. Why guilt?

Even before the Olney library closed its doors, I was already stepping out ... to the Howard County library in Glenwood. Yes, I was a traitor. Instead of patronizing other Montgomery County branches, I snuck up Georgia Avenue to the sparkling Glenwood facility with its enormous book, DVD, and audio book collections; ample natural lighting; and cozy cafe. I joked with the Olney staff (employed by cash-strapped Montgomery County) that Howard County's librarians even had metal name tags! I couldn't hide my enthusiasm for the Glenwood facility; while organizing the used book sale near the check-out counter, whenever I overheard a patron's dismayed discovery about the Olney library's closing, I would take him/her aside and whisper, "Try the Howard County library just 20 minutes up Georgia Avenue."

Once my kids had a taste of the Glenwood facility, they never wanted to return to the Olney library. Whenever I bumped into an Olney resident at Glenwood, we would exchange slightly embarrassed smiles and avert eyes like mutually exposed cheaters. The most embarrassing moment was when I ran into an Olney librarian who asked, "Where do you go now?"

Shuffling my feet, I looked down and mumbled, "Uh... actually, I've been going to the Howard County library --"

"Good for you! I was going to suggest that facility," she patted my arm reassuringly.

Despite infrequent visits to the Aspen Hill and Wheaton branches of the Montgomery County library, I admit that yes, my loyalty has shifted to the Howard County library... at least until the renovated Olney library reopens next year.

At the library

Libraries are magical places. My childhood library was monumental. We went to the city's main library, simply because it was the closest, but also because it was amazing. There are some advantages to small-town living, one of which is that the children's librarian still recognizes my mother when they see each other in the grocery store. I've lived away from my childhood hometown for 16 years; but I had such a close relationship with my favorite librarian that she still asks after me.

I still have my library card with my 3rd grade signature. I would have one from even younger, but I had to turn it in. The earlier card was made of paper. In 3rd grade the library system switched to barcoding, and I got a plastic library card. There was a rule in the children's room of the library: each patron could check out four books per visit. I made my selections so carefully, knowing how I'd reread those four books for several weeks before I traded them in for new stories.

We now regularly take our small children to the Olney library, and imagine my surprise and horror that there are no limits on books. I would have been so good with telling E to select four books but the lovely librarian on the first day said, "sweetie, pick as many as you'd like!"

Do NOT give instructions like that to my child, for she will hold those words in her heart as Truth. Please and thank you?

So the girls run around making piles of books on the little kid-sized tables until I finally point out that we can not carry anymore. E finds a series that she is currently enjoying, such as Curious George, and tries to gather one of every Curious George on the shelves. (Do you know how many Curious George books there are? No? Many. Many many many. Could someone please give a name to the man with the yellow hat already?) L finds a book that enchants her and tries to take every copy of that same book off the shelf. She truly wants all four copies of Learn Baby Sign Language. Try to replace one, let alone three, and she'll shriek for all to hear: my babies, my babies! as if her offspring have been kidnapped.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. There is no physical way to enforce both
1) Pick as many books as you'd like
and
2) Shh! Quiet voices. We're in a library.

But it's all worthwhile, I remind myself, because I'm providing them The Library Experience. I'm a good mom, see?

Earlier this week, we made our last trip to the library. It closes at the end of the month for a two-year renovation. I know how badly it needs rehabbing; but this is the only library my kids know. It's the one they love and the one that provides the foundation for their sweet library memories.

We'll find another branch to visit, I'm sure.

But it will be bittersweet to spend two years driving past a closed Olney library.