Vancouver Public Library 7.21.11

Today after water aerobics, R and I went looking for the new brand new Vancouver Public Library.  It open Sunday July 17^th at ‘C’ and Evergreen just west of I-5 in downtown Vancouver.  And what a beautiful place it is!  Five floors, lots of windows, a nice contrast of concrete and steel meeting bright colors.  The third floor is entirely devoted to kids with at least 1/3 of the floor filled with hands-on activities for young ones.   Lots of things that slid, twirled, rotated, stacked, lit up, and generally stimulated young minds.  Made me wish I was young enough to play with them.  (I did turn some wheels and move some balls.)   If you find yourself in Vancouver and have some time check out the library.  It is well worth your time.

     R and I stopped in to see if we get some reading and video items checked out.  We walked up to the counter, told the clerk what we wanted to do and her response was,  “Do you have a library card from somewhere else?  If so you are welcome to get one here.  It is a provisional card meaning you can reserve and check out books from our any of our regional libraries, you just can’t get items from outside.”  She went on to explain that regular members can request books from any library anywhere in the country!  How about that?  We filled out a form and were issued a provisional card which is good for two years.  There was no cost for this transaction.

     It is such a contrast to Eugene’s library system.  Instead of encouraging use of the library, the Eugene library system has an isolationist policy concerning personal use by folks from outside the city boundaries.  If you are not a resident of Eugene, the annual cost of a library card is $80.!!!   I think that it is outrageous!!