Thoughts for today

Chicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library offered more than I ever thought a public library could offer. I did not realize the magnitude of the actual building and all of the information stored inside of it until I was there first hand, climbing the escalators and viewing the never-ending sea of information. There were many things I enjoyed about this visit. First of all, the fact that it discriminates against no one. It literally is the public’s library; not dependent of their background, ethnicity, religion or income. This is a place where everyone can and should feel welcomed and open to learn. I also really enjoyed the children’s library. So often, kids are in places where they are surrounded by adults and have to act like little adults. But this library offered a place meant specifically for kids. They had lower shelves. They had smaller furniture. They had bright colors and animals and shapes hanging from the ceilings. This is every child’s dream book cellar. The other aspect I enjoyed was the winter garden as well as the exhibits. Both of these places are unique to this specific library. I have never been to a library that had anything like the garden. It was just a relaxing, comfortable atmosphere for people to escape to. The exhibits are also unique and they are unique to Chicago. Being the Chicago public library, I think that it’s important to bring out some of the history and some of the culture of the city. The aspects I did not really like involved the overall comfort of the library. When I think of a library, I think of all the information and books upon books upon books, but I also think of a comfortable, inviting place to read these books. This library felt more business-like and was not as warm as I would have expected. Also, our guide told us that about 5,000 people come in and out of the library daily, but they only had just over 100 computers to access the Internet. Nowadays, that is one of the reasons why many people go to libraries: to use the computer.