The Long-Lost Library

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Meghan Nelson, CullmanSense Columnist

In this progressive, technological age of Nooks and Kindles, Amazon and the internet, few people seem to have time for a good, old-fashioned book (you know, one with actual, turn-by-hand pages), and even fewer seem to have the inclination to visit a little building known as the public library.

When I was young, my mother took my siblings and me on trips to the library quite frequently, loading us into the car and arming us with our very own library cards. An avid reader even as a child, I always loved the smell of old books, coupled with the anticipation of new stories, that could be found at the library.

However, once I became a self-concerned, reputation-minded teenager, I began to realize that being a fan of the library could possibly be quite detrimental to my already semi-nerdy image. As a result, my library card expired, and in an effort to appear appropriately apathetic, I gradually stopped visiting libraries unless it was required by my teachers.

Well, that was a relatively unintelligent decision made by a relatively immature teenage girl, and I must take a moment to mock my younger self for such popularity-based nonsense. Despite my adolescent ego's best efforts, I have grown into what most would consider a nerd (or at least a semi-nerd), and having fully embraced that aspect of myself, I have also renewed my long-expired library card.

Now, apparently, not many people my age make use of the government-provided public library. When I applied for a new library card (at the ripe old age of twenty-three), the librarian seemed to believe I was not yet old enough to drive myself home. After assuring her that I was, in fact, twenty-three and married, she loosened her concern somewhat, and I was able to check out my first library books since elementary school.

At this point, you may be wondering what, exactly, the Cullman Public Library has to do with living on a budget. The answer is quite simple: it provides free book (and I was surprised to learn, movie) rentals, as well as internet and computer access.

I use 'free' in a loose manner, since the public library is  funded by the government, which is, in turn, funded by us, the taxpayers. So, rather than 'free', the public library is actually more like something you are required to fund regardless of whether or not you plan to use it. When viewed in this fashion, it seems ridiculous not to take advantage of something for which you have already paid.

With this mindset in place, I have become a frequent patron of the Cullman Public Library over the past two years and have developed a bit of a strategy for traversing the quiet, book-lined corridors. The first aspect to remember is to not bring anyone who is uninterested in books or in a hurry. If you are trying to select a book while someone else is waiting on you, not only is it exceedingly annoying, but in your haste, you will probably not choose the best books.

Even if you are not rushed, it is still sometimes difficult to choose a book. Despite its small size, Cullman's library is surprisingly well-stocked, and choosing from so many books can be intimidating. In addition, some of the books are what one might term 'outdated' and tend to sport covers that beg to be judged in their complete lack of refinement, making it difficult to determine their true value.

However, the easy solution to this dilemma is to do a  little basic research. After several visits to the library that resulted in the acquirement of various mediocre to downright bad tomes, I finally decided to research book lists online before my visit. Equipped with such lists, choosing a good read became a simple and enjoyable task.

While the library does charge a whopping ten cents per day on overdue books, they are nevertheless a dependable facility for 'free' reading entertainment and resources. You have, after all, already paid for it, so you might as well venture into the Cullman Public Library and see what you can find.