Author: C. Michele Dorsey

Michele:   Since I’ve featured Libraries of a Lifetime, a library love fest all week, I asked my fellow Miss Demeanors to share a memory of a library that meant something special to each of them. Here’s what that said. Please join us on Facebook or Twitter to share yours. Thanks to those of you who have shared during the week. Alison:  When I started thinking about this question, it surprised me how clearly I can go back in time to the libraries I love. I’ll defer to Tracee on this, but I think libraries are some pretty amazing architectural spaces: the library at Trinity College in Dublin, the Fisher Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania, and, of course, the New York Public Library Main Branch. One of my fondest memories of a library was from the summer I lived in Paris. I was working on my senior thesis and spent every afternoon, just about, at the Centre George Pompidou. I loved everything about going to that library: taking the metro, seeing the performers and mimes outside, finding my books, reading, taking notes, and looking through those crazy windows. Years later I took my kids back (see the below photo […]

My writer’s imagination always gets thrown into my luggage wherever I go. I like to get a sense of what it would like to live where I am traveling. I imagine where my house or apartment would be and where I would work. I look at stores where I might shop and other places I consider essential in a community. There are two primary places I find the pulse of a local. They are the grocery story and the library.             At the grocery store, I watch what local people are buying, how high or low are the prices, and whether people buy in quantity or in small amounts. It’s a fascinating way to feed my voyeur proclivities without inviting the attention of local law enforcement.             Tucking into the local library is equally as safe and intriguing. Sometimes the library is actually a tourist highlight. I never fail to gasp when the Long Room at Trinity College in Dublin which I’ve visited several times. Sitting on a bench looking up and down at ancient tomes is a welcome relief and departure from frantic pub hops.             MLXLS​​   Often I will have to work while I travel. It’s the […]

I have yet to meet a writer who isn’t a library lover. How could a writer not be enchanted by an institution dedicated to the very object writers seek to create? My first impression when I enter a library is almost always auditory. The absence of noise is magnetic for me. Oh, there is the gentle din of a whisper followed by a hush now and then. But the silence sends a rush of equanimity throughout my body that is akin to when I am on a yoga mat.             My next sensation is olfactory. I do not know how some people claim they can’t smell books. To those of us who can, the library filled with books is like an abundant spring garden flush with long awaited peonies and roses. It’s one of the many reasons people stick with print editions of books.             LXLMS​​   The library is a writer’s haven. The setting is perfect. There are tables and chairs, some even cushioned. No one will tug on your sleeve and ask if you’ve seen their jeans they put in the laundry. No one will say there’s an important call on line two you have to take. No […]

            Many people regard libraries as a place to get something. You go, browse, and get books to borrow. For lots of other folks, a library is a place to do work, often in the form of research. Computers may have replaced card catalogues, yet the function is still the same. People come to libraries seeking information and knowledge. For those doing historical research, there is still the thrill of seeing the penmanship of those long gone on paper.            But for many people, the library is a refuge. No one stands at the door to take your money. The library is free as in free-dom. It doesn’t matter what your religion, race, or political persuasion is, everyone is welcome at the library, including the homeless. Librarians deal with the problems the homeless often present and are even guided by the Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness.com, which provides advice about how to deal with common issues. Sleeping/snoring, panhandling, delusions, too many bags, and even body odor are among the topics covered. The guide invites librarians to reduce problems and conflict while still being inclusive.            There are others with less obvious needs than the homeless who seek sanctuary in our libraries. There […]

This week I will pay homage to libraries and hope you will join me by remembering the libraries of your lifetime and sharing memories of your own. I was inspired by Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, which I’ve been reading. No library lover should miss it.            I’ll begin by honoring my maternal grandmother, Madeline, affectionately known as “Nanna,” with an extra “n” because she was so nice. She and my grandfather retired in the mid-1950’s to Scituate, Massachusetts, along the Atlantic coast where they had summered for years. They learned quickly that the robust summer community, which has been dubbed America’s most Irish town, felt quiet and isolated during the long winter months. My grandmother lamented there were no lights within the houses on her street during off-season and would get “the blues.” When my grandfather died shortly thereafter, leaving her alone with their disabled son, the loneliness drove her straight to the Allen Memorial Library.            The day summer vacation arrived, I descended upon Nanna and her screened front porch where a cushioned chase lounge was reserved for me. The first day, we would drive to the library so I could stock up on books. Nanna would take me by […]