Only liberals use libraries??

I like to pride myself on listening to other points of view and taking other people seriously, no matter if I agree with them or not. I went to dinner with a friend of mine from the opposite political viewpoint than mine. We were talking about the budget issues, and I probably said something offhanded, such as “Kids don’t need books, go ahead and cut those.” To which his response was, “Only liberals use the library.”

Now, I’ve been using the local libraries where I’ve lived for years – probably since I was a really little kid. I would have to say that I did this even when I wasn’t a liberal. I remember while in elementary school, I would ride my bike down to the local park in our area, and visit the Bookmobile every week. Each summer, they had a contest, where for each book you read, you would put a penny in this large jar. For each ten books you read, your name would be entered in a drawing for the amount of money that was in the jar at the end of the summer. One summer, I actually won the jar! While it was only $50, and I had to roll all the coins, I thought it was really cool. I read a ridiculous amount of books that summer, as I have all the time since.

It’s not that I don’t buy books. I have a ton, and they are overflowing in my apartment. I use the library a lot for books that I can’t find in the store, or just don’t really feel like buying, but can find at the library. I also use the library for CD’s and DVD’s. When I was looking for a place to cut my spending in order to make my budget more manageable, the library helped, because I can get entertainment there.

I’m not really sure that only liberals use the libraries. Kids, older folks, and people on a budget all use the library. They, or, at least all of the libraries I’ve been to, put on great programs for kids, book groups, and offer a variety of classes. I’ve been a long time library advocate, because they open up the world of reading to EVERYONE, no matter if they can afford to buy their own library full of books, like myself.