#35: Central Library

CENTRAL LIBRARY

Visiting Time: 9:30-11:15 AM

Did I get lost on my way? Nope!

Book Checked out: It's a DVD actually. And it's titled "Learn to Drive Stick Shift"

Book Selection: 4+ bookmarks (It has everything a gal could want)
Seating: 1 bookmarks
Staff: 4 bookmarks
Architecture/Atmosphere: 2 bookmarks

Total: 11 bookmarks

I approached this library with the mindset of Hearst Castle. You can't see it all in one day, so just pick a tour and enjoy what you do see.

Turns out I was able to see most of this three-story library in a decently detailed fashion. The big disappointment was that The Wangenheim Room (rare books) didn't open until 1:30. But not to worry, I will be back.

I did spend some time in the Genealogy Room, which has books on the history of all fifty states, prominent American families, and extensive records of US immigration. I looked for my father's family, but the best I could find was a Panic who'd settled in Illinois.

Even cooler was the Art, Music, and Recreation section on the second floor. Here, I found filing cabinets filled with folders of pictures. I asked a librarian named Vic what their purpose was, and he said stage designers or artists sometimes consult the images when creating a set, painting, or sculpture. Brilliant! He said with the advent of the Internet they're used less often. But they are still used, because there was a stack of folders waiting to be refiled. Some photos come from newspapers or magazines, while others are cut from books being taken out of circulation.

The Mini that Bryan and I ordered (which, by the way, has gone from "On Order" to "Scheduled for Production" to "In Production" to "Awaiting Transport!") is a manual, so he's been teaching me how to drive his manual car. (This weekend, I became a hill driver extraordinaire.) And while Bryan's a fine teacher, extra resources can't hurt. So I checked out a fifteen-minute video on the principles of stick shift driving. It was a tough decision between this and the Romance Reader's Handbook. (I told you, this library has everything!)

The video demonstrates manual driving principles in a Mini Cooper, which was pretty cool. But the DVD was really scratched, rendering most of unwatchable. Proof that digital can't replace old-fashioned books. At least not yet. The video was shot in San Diego, though, so many of the jerky frames I did get to see were of Mission Beach and Point Loma.

I don't like to get into the politics of things, but if you want the latest scoop on building a new central library, go here.

Pictures:

(This is what I call selection.)

(Empty shelves for 519-530. Which means room for more books about astronomy.)

(A picture from the "Bowling Alley" folder. Which was came after "Bowling" and before "Bowling History" and "Bowling on the Green".)