Why Fix it if it Ain't Broke?

Thought for the day:  My grandma always said God made libraries so people didn't have an excuse to be stupid. [Joan Bauer]

Yep. It's that time again. Yet another month has slipped through our fingers, and it is once again time for our IWSG monthly posts. For me, today isn't just about the IWSG, though. It also happens to be Smarticus' birthday, so I won't be spending much time on the computer. Maybe before he gets up, and during his nap, but other than that, the day will be all about him. I've got some fun plans up my sleeve if he's game... if he is, I'll tell you about it later.

Anyhow, back to today's post. As always, thanks to our fearless leader, Alex Cavanaugh, for founding this fine group, and thanks to all the other nurturing guys and gals who've helped turn it into the thriving community it is today. I'm telling ya, this group offers better support and lift than the world's most expensive bra. (No pesky underwires, either!) To join this super supportive group of writers and to see links to other participating blogs, please go HERE

Per the thought for the day, I dunno if Ms. Bauer's grandma was right about libraries, but I have a sneaky feeling all of you are long-time library lovers, like me. I wasn't a fan because I was trying to avoid stupidity, but simply because... I love the very idea of them. Their smells, the sounds, all those BOOKS, just free for the borrowing. As a young girl, I had library cards for a multitude of libraries. Where we grew up in Maryland, there were soooo many wonderful libraries, so... why limit myself to only one? My favorite was the Enoch Pratt Library, on the outskirts of Baltimore city. That place is HUGE! Multiple -storied, it had broad sweeping wooden staircases befitting a southern mansion, and a whole bank of card catalogs. I imagine the place has long-since been modernized, so I doubt if they have any of the old card catalogs any more. Too bad. I loved the simplicity of looking through those cards to find a book by title, author, or subject. Then again, I miss the simple way of stamping a due date on the card and book, too. I reckon I'm just a dinosaur when it comes to libraries. (And, yeah, a bunch of other things, too.) Another cool thing about Enoch Pratt is they had a small room filled with Edgar Allen Poe's desk and other stuff. Reeeeally neat!

Then in 1971, we moved to our sweet little town of Norcross here in Georgia. One of the first things I did after settling in was to visit the local library.

ARRRRRGH!!!!

Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite as small as the little lending library in the picture, but it wasn't much bigger. Really. It was ensconced in a tiny home, and the books were on the shelves all helter-skelter, and... they didn't even use the Dewey decimal system!!! Books were more or less alphabetized, but the librarians weren't exactly anal-retentive about it. Some were... some weren't.

ARRRRRGH!!!

I kid you not. I cried. Then I joined two by-mail book-of-the-month clubs.

I'm not sure why the library was in such a disorganized unprofessional state when we moved here, but it wasn't always the case. This adorable little brick building was our city's first library. The Norcross Women's Club was founded in 1905 with the express purpose of supporting the National Library movement and to establish a library here. Norcross had the FIRST library in the region, and it was located in a local school in 1907. Then this sweet little building was built in 1921, and it housed our library until 1966. I'm not sure why they vacated this building to move to the tiny house with maybe six parking places, as I found it in in 1971, but at least the old library still houses something. The Norcross Women's Club. It kinda came full circle.

I'm not sure what year our current library was built, but it's a huge improvement. Even won a Library of the Year award once. They've made a lot of changes since it opened, some I like, some not so much. Checking out is like space age magic. Just pile your books any which way on this high-tech  scanner thingie, enter your card number, and it gives you a print-out of all your books and when they're due.

NOW, a newer, bigger, even better library is being built to replace this one. There's gonna be a big multi-tiered parking deck next to it. I'm looking forward to seeing what the new library will bring, but here's the thing...

Our library was closed for a few days in January. You'll never guess why...

They're eliminating the Dewey decimal system!

ARRRRRRGH!!!

Instead, they're going to sort books by subject matter.

I hate it.

The fiction section was already shelved by subject matter... or genre... and I hate that, too. I mean, some books simply don't fit neatly into their limited assortment of categories, so if I'm looking for a book by a particular author, it could be shelved in any one of several places.

Where's a good ol' card catalog when ya need it?

So I'm curious.

About YOUR libraries.

Have they kicked the Dewy decimal system to the curb, too? If so, how do you like it?

I don't mean to be an old fuddy-duddy, so I'd love it if you could explain to me why the new system will be better.

End of rant.

Okay, let's move on to this month's question, shall we?

Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

Well, I'm sure a photo or work of art has served as the inspiration for many stories. Just none by ME. (How do ya like THAT? Short and sweet. It really IS possible for me to answer in less than 500 words....)

                          Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.