In Awe of Shelf Browsing — How the Public Library saved my butt during the pandemic

The world is full of wonders and one day you discover a particular one that you are extra fascinated by. Maybe it’s how the pyramids got build, why spiders design their webs the way they do, or what makes recidivism happen. What’s your information itch that needs scratching?

You do some googling and Wikipedia reading on the topic but quickly discover that either (A) the level of information out there is actually pretty shallow with the same information just being repeated in different ways on different websites or (B) the level of information is too deep. There’s too much and it’s all over the place. It’s overwhelming and makes learning about the topic become less fun and more work.

“A” is a short Wikipedia page whose information seems to be almost exactly copied word for word on any website you can find. “B” is an incredibly long Wikipedia page that is just a mess of random facts with a lack of cohesive narrative that makes it incredibly hard to read.

It’s an information access problem. There is too little or too much. You need something in the middle. Something where the water is up to your neck and your toes can still touch. Somewhere you can swim without fear of drowning. The internet isn’t great at this. It’s overwhelming or underwhelming. Not much room for subtly.

So what do you do? Maybe you just try to learn a basic amount about the topic and then move on to your next flight of fancy. Maybe you decide to play some russian roulette with the youtube algorithm. Or maybe you turn to the best package and delivery of information we have created: The Book.

It’s hard to find the right book though. You can do some more googling and try to find the best books on a topic. Go to your local bookstore or view the top purchases at Amazon. Most likely whatever book you choose to get won’t be exactly the right fit.

This is why reader’s advisory is so hard, it’s not the topic, plot, or theme that makes us love a book, it’s the unmeasurable stuff like the style, feel, or atmosphere. Finding a good book is like finding the right home. So many random pieces need to fit together perfectly and it’s hard to describe what you are looking for.

You can go ahead and buy the top rated book on your topic from amazon. Or the one with the most appealing cover at your local bookstore. You might get lucky. Maybe your interest in the topic alone is enough to keep you engaged with the book even if its style isn’t the right fit for you. But how many books do you get that way that you start and actually finish?

Now imagine walking into a public library and looking at a row of books all on your topic and knowing that you can give *every single one of them* a try. They are all free. You don’t need to worry about picking the wrong one. No risk. No monetary investment. If the book doesn’t fit, return it and grab the next one!

This doesn’t need to just be a in-person experience either. You can browse subject headings or call numbers online to find similar books and make use of entire library system. Place holds. Use interlibrary loan. All the books are yours. They all can be read. A wealth of information at your fingertips. Interested bachelors everywhere and you get your pick of them.

Libraries. Wow. We are unworthy.

Ok, yes I am a librarian and likely book fetishist. It’s weird though. All the above was why I became a librarian. A youth spent crawling and working my way through the shelves of the Kitchener Public Library. But once I was in libraries, I kind-of stopped using them. I had taken what was fun and turned it into work, which made it no longer fun.

Then I quit my library job, moved to Vancouver and started studying ecology and botany. During the lockdown I explored and adventured through the depths of the Vancouver Public Library’s science book collection and it has been incredible. All this knowledge, all these fascinating insights and narratives, just there waiting there politely for me to crack them open.

That feeling I had as a youth that I didn’t know I had lost till I found it again. Standing in front of a collection of books and thinking “I am going to read all of you”. It’s back. The world is a place of wonder. And I know it’s a joke, a cliché, a gimmick, but a library card is the key. Forget the internet. Forget youtube. Go to your library and get a stack of books.

Shoutout to the Vancouver Public Library staff for the incredible work they have done during the pandemic: Figuring out how to keep patrons safe. Dealing with a massive wave of book and information requests. Living through a nightmare but still doing their best everyday to help people. Thank you! I’ll see you when I come in tomorrow to grab my holds.