As a child, I remember going to the library with my mother. I would always walk out with a stack of books almost too big for me to carry. My brothers would have just as many and while I never recall my mother getting books, I’m sure she did. But at that age grown up books didn’t appeal to me. All of the books that the four of us would go home with would be checked out on my mother’s library card. I remember her keeping a careful watch on when the books were due. Could you imagine the fines we would accrue in a short amount of time with so many books? But my mother was always careful to return them on time. In fact, I’m not sure she has ever paid a library fine in her life.
When I was old enough to get my own library card I was thrilled. I would like to say that my mother’s careful watch of library due dates was one of the traits she passed on to me, but sadly it wasn’t. I try to be good and pay attention but somewhere along the three or so weeks I have a book I always forget. And it’s even worse than that because my childhood habit of walking out of the library with almost more books than I can carry has stuck with me. I often find myself at the counter of the library being asked, “Did you know you have some fines?” To this I usually reply, “No, but that doesn’t surprise me.”
I like to think that I’m actually doing some good by being so forgetful. It seems libraries struggle with funding from time to time. Paying fines makes me feel like I’m making a difference. In fact, sometimes it feels as if I’m supplying most of the libraries income. So if you want to know why I support my public libraries, the answer is simple. I love books, and I’m a bit scatterbrained.
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