Check it out
by SUE BELLOWS
What is a public library, anyway? A place to check out books for free, yes. But today’s public library offers much more than that: It has the latest newspapers and periodicals to read. It offers computers to use as word processors, or as Internet connections. And it has an impressive selection of audio books on CD or cassette tape, as well as downloadable books.
Visit the Buda Public Library on any day, and you will find all of these services being used at the same time. The selection of books never fails to impress with its interesting new arrivals: “Just my Type”, by Simon Garfield is a fascinating book about type fonts and their creators, filled with interesting, little-known history, and told with wry humor. “Sex, Drugs and Sea Slime”, by Ellen J. Prager is a marine science study, filled with amazing discoveries and facts about the deep, dark sea. The 19 computers in our library are in constant use by patrons doing research, writing papers, doing job searches, communicating and tutoring. On Tuesdays, toddlers, and on Wednesdays, pre-schoolers, can take advantage of a weekly story hour.
Our Buda Library is well equipped with everything a modern public library should have, and more. What would make our little library better? More space, for one thing: more meeting rooms, more reading space, a bigger children’s area. More staff and more computers would be nice, too. And maybe we could use a little less noise from the passing trains right outside our door. But in this time of tax cuts and reduced budgets, our little library gets an A+ for doing the very best job with the resources it has. Thanks, too, to the knowledgeable staff and the dedicated volunteers who make our library “The Best Little Library in Texas”. Visit our library on Main Street!
Sue Bellows is a City of Buda Library Commissioner.
