Eyes with vision see what can be

As I rearranged the tables and chairs in the Marion County Library’s periodicals area for our weekly “Mother Goose on the Loose” infant storytime and was obligated once again to ask a few library visitors who were reading newspapers to relocate to another table in the library, I was asked by one of the patrons (kiddingly, I hope) whether there wasn’t another library in town that he could visit since this one was getting to be a bit too crowded and the young people were taking over the place.

I reminded him that this is indeed the reason why the library is working on an expansion project and urged him to support our efforts.

I envision a library (and indeed the building plans are in place; I invite everyone to come view the model on display at the Main library) where there is enough space for all ages to pursue their interests, whether it be reading the newspapers, using the Internet, studying for school, browsing the bestsellers, attending a storytime, or watching a puppet show, unhindered and undisturbed by all the other “goings on.”

One where the older patrons are eager to see young library users because there will be room enough for all! I certainly do not relish displacing any library customer, but the fact remains that library space and seating are severely limited and we would be doing a disservice to our youth if we were to hold off on programs for them until we had the “appropriate” space to contain them.

This is why you may have come to the library and heard children talking and laughing as they created word collages and stories this summer, or heard strains of the Beatles during a storytime, or saw the library lights on after-hours so we could hold a teen game night.

Without our community partners of the Marion Chamber of Commerce and the City of Mullins, who allowed the library to use the Marion Opera House and the Mullins City Auditorium, our plays such as “Superheroes Save Summer Reading” and “The Pigeon’s Day” could not have been held at all.

The way I see it, the library is truly a microcosm of our community and I can think of no better place to begin bridging the generation gap and many other socio-economic gaps in our society, than by working together to create a place that can be enjoyed by and shared by all.