The Library...

August 31st, 2008

I believe we have written a few times that we have visited our local library. Today is a good day to pay homage and to discuss it further.

It's a very nice library which appears to have been recently remodeled in probably the last 5 or so years. The outside is a building of strength and tradition while the inside is more modern with an inner steel cabled staircase that takes you up to the third floor (which is the main floor). The three flights up always cause me to break out in a good sweat, like exercising in a warm room. But, upon arrival to the top floor, all patrons are rewarded with an air conditioned environment.

It's a friendly place with computers, "televisione internazionale", copy machines, a nice children's section, large DVD and CD collections, places to sit and do homework, as well as a nice machine that one can buy espresso or other beverages. (Water is a real bargain at .30 Euro!) We have found a section of books in English and most of them are classics. This will provide us a good opportunity to catch up on all those classics we never read at some future date. Our favorite room is the newspaper and magazine room; it has chairs to sit and read and is brightly lit with natural light.

There are signs throughout the various areas to maintain our silence and if not, there is always a librarian to quickly shuuuush the offenders. I am often struck by the fact that it's also a place of trust. Each time we have gone, I have seen women's purses just sitting, half open on a table, or a laptop computer sitting alone for long periods of time; car and house keys are often left on tables. These sights always challenge me as I am the person who has her laptop cable locked to the frame of the pull out guest bed and makes sure that our doors are tripled locked each time we leave.

Within the vast quantities of magazines are two in English: Time and Newsweek. During each visit, we take turns reading and switching and when we run out, there are British newspapers. I always enjoying reading the British paper for their perspective, insight, and phraseology. There's also another small paper that is published infrequently; it's a paper for African Nationals which serves as a news-link but also a resource guide to living in Italy. The last edition went to great length about the new Italian laws that forbid and financially penalize Italians who rent to illegal immigrants. The article was in depth, serious, foreboding and left me feeling sad.

Then, there are ALL the wonderful cooking magazines and who needs to read the language when one can look at the pictures? Being that cooking is one of my favorite things to do (next to spending time with Kim, inserting acupuncture needles, gardening, traveling...)it just takes a good picture or series of "how to" pictures to keep me happily entertained. Before we know it, a few hours have flown by and we descend the staircase (which Kim says is only two floors) slowly acclimating to the warmer temperature preparing us for the outdoors. As we exit, we pass an office that we guess is where one goes to get a library card. To date, we have been too shy/intimidated/fill in the blank about going in and signing up for one. We keep saying that when we run out of books at home to read, we'll hit that classics section. We then begin our walk home. It's usually time for happy hour and for me to make dinner while watching Rex, the wonder dog.