WHY must all good things come to an end?
Today was our last trip to the Bookmobile. Budget cuts finally reached us; the local library is cutting off this valuable service on Sept. 1.
I started using the Bookmobile 14 or 15 years ago when I got sick of reading the same books over & over to my oldest book-loving toddler. We will really miss Susie, a wonderful librarian, who has watched our family grow up while faithfully schlepped boxes & boxes of books & audios for us, even setting aside new items she knew we would enjoy. I did some figuring... we started out small -only a few books at a time, but gradually increased over the years to where we are now checking out approximately 100 items per month.
The local library cannot stock enough Christian items to keep up with our reading appetite, so we inter-library loan most of what we check out. The library will only hold these things for 4 days after they come in, but with town 20 minutes away I don't go more than once a week. Potentially a huge problem. How many books will be shipped back & forth, back & forth until they realize it would be much more cost effective to hold them longer for us?
Besides sadness over this loss of a very handy service, we are awaiting word of the passing of our church family's matriarch. A sweet little lady of 94, known universally as "Grandma", will surely leave quite a hole in our midst.
3 comments:
The library has a pretty loose 4 day standard. I think I've left things there for a week...especially if they know you. I actually have NO complaints about either library in Cambridge, they bend over backwards to get the things I need. Sometimes when they call to let me know I have something in - I tell them I'm waiting to come pick it up till it all comes in and they are fine with that. Not only that, you can request and renew online which is terribly handy. I'm sorry for you - but you might just come to like this too...
Have you been to see Mary? They love when church people stop in. She is sleeping more tonight - drifting in and out, but she still knew us...the hospice nurse said she could go another week, but then again, only God knows.
I sure echo the sadness of the bookmobile. It seems I can hardly remember life any other way. My boys certainly don't. They can't quite grasp the fact that it's done for a LONG time.
Carolyn, I don't know that the 'waiting till it all comes in' will fly for us because we continally have 5-20 items ordered on each card. Stuff comes in alomst daily for us; hope they don't take to calling us for every book! I have been managing our accounts online for several years already. The potential big problem I see is items we wait on for 1 year+ that could get sent back before we have a chance to pick up. Is that when we call you to run over to the library for us? :) Don't see how we'll come to like this... Crossroads is never going to give us the service we got on the bookmobile, like holding the new issues of Creating Keepsakes for us. Spoiled, I know. :)
I was to see Mary this morning. She knew me and talked a little. Beautiful smile. Showing us how to die gracefully.
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