Majestic Wedding

My husband and I got to attend a fun wedding in Madison, Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago.  It was especially fun because we have known this lovely young bride since she was a toddler and we were new parents ourselves.  Her parents, like us, were new to the community, so we became good friends.  Suddenly here we are twenty-five years later at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Madison, an old movie house that was beautifully renovated as a “venue” (a wonderful word with French and Latin roots that you hear a lot in wedding planning and theatrical circles and just means “place”), and we are all grown up and enjoying this festive occasion together.  The original seats had been removed during the renovation so that folding chairs and tables could be set up for the guests to sit for the wedding and then have dinner.  Later the floor was completely cleared of furniture for a dance.  We had a great time.   

A wedding is a theatre piece of sorts, and this seemed like the perfect place for these two young people who met while studying the dramatic arts in college.  Currently, he is going to graduate school for theatre, and she is getting her library science degree.  I think of her as my modern counterpart:  a young version of the librarian/actress who is passionate about serving the public and promoting literature by day and equally passionate about making theatre happen in her free time.  What an exciting time to be in library school!  It’s all about marketing and networking and using wonderful technological innovations to increase connectivity—not just about memorizing the Dewey Decimal system anymore. 

One of Laura’s projects for library school was to compile stories of artists who were connected to libraries in some way—inspired by them or working in them.  Libraries are not just for bookworms anymore and are giving the public a place to go to share or create art.  Because libraries are public and free and everyone feels welcome in them, they are the perfect place to inspire or showcase art projects.  We use Heritage Hall, our library’s second floor, for concerts and theatrical productions several times a month.   Local artists have created both permanent and transient pieces to enhance our library’s interior.  Libraries are always morphing and changing, even as theatres are morphing into “venues” for other sorts of events. 

Kindle Crush

I am not one of those librarians who has read every book in the library.  In fact, I am a pretty slow reader, and there have been periods in my life when I haven’t read at all.  But all that has changed—thanks to my Kindle.

Actually, it’s my husband’s Kindle.  He’s a Gadget Guy.  To his credit, he’s a really helpful Gadget Guy, so that when all of the copies of the book I’d ordered for our library discussion group had been snapped up and I needed to read it, he stepped in. 

“You can just download it onto my Kindle.  I don’t need it anymore now that I’ve got my IPad.” 

Here’s the deal:  my ears stop working when someone says “download.”  My comfort level with technology is in the same zone as clothespins and paperweights.  I have been called a hostile student by my husband, the most patient of teachers.  But I had a problem that could be solved through technology, so I allowed him to help me. 

The first book I read on the Kindle was “The Help” by Katherine Stockton, in November of last year.  Our library copy has been checked out for months, with multiple holds placed on it, and we had waited a long time for the discussion set to arrive from another library for our reading group.  It’s a popular book, and for good reason.  But it’s really long, and I don’t know about you , but when I’m faced with reading a really long book, I’m daunted. 

The Kindle only shows you one page at a time.  That way, you’re not constantly confronting all the pages you have yet to read.  My inner seventh grader balks at the idea of reading any book over two hundred pages long.  But if I can’t see ‘em, they don’t bother me.  At the bottom of the screen, the percentage of what you have read so far shows up.  Yay!  Twenty-two percent!  And the screen is little and cute—not like a computer screen.  Lightweight.  Fits in your pocketbook or messenger bag.   

I’ll show you mine if you come to the library.  There are lots of kinds of these electronic readers, and many of them are compatible with our electronic lending library online, which I can also show you.  You can download free books from our website.  I know—download.  We’d better get used to it.  If I can do it, so can you.