The Bookmark: A Special Place Just for You
By JIMMY BASS, Coweta County Public Library Director
Is there a store that you always feel has something just for you? Is it brick and mortar or online? Is the store general or specific in its inventory and do they have old standards or cutting-edge products or both?
Well, I have one, or several to be truthful, and I must shop smart or my debit card becomes quite uncooperative! I do have a favorite place that has what I want, either online or brick/mortar, and it features oldies and all the newest. And it is free. I bet you know where I am going with this now…. yes, right to one of the four Coweta County libraries!
It is not bragging if it is true. I like to think that given the chance we (library staff) can make about anyone a happy customer if they give us a chance. If you are a reader, I know that we got you, but I love to try and sell non-readers on what we have to offer. There are numerous reasons to rearrange your daily routine if reading is not a part of it. Many, many studies show that people who read are less stressed, happier, do better in school, and make more money. Once again, I am not making this up … it is not bragging.
I love preaching to the choir but if you know someone who does not read or is that person that says I do not read and I am happy about it, please let me try and put a book in their hand. The world is so full of information and the internet is so full of opinions; it behooves all of us to have our mind as fit as our bodies.
Do not make me break out the dementia studies that show reading can put off diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Who really wants to spend the relaxed, retired days of their life battling such a terrible disease when there is something that can possibly help prevent it???
Maybe I have made my case so let’s go back to the store you love because it has something just for you. Everyone has interests, right? If you do not like mysteries or romances or westerns because they are “made up,” we have this thing called a Dewey Decimal system that puts books in order by subject order or interests. I have news for you too … fiction titles today can teach you a whole lot of non-fiction knowledge. These authors do the research!
Surely, with hundreds of thousands of titles, there is something to hook a person’s interest or tickle their curiosity. And we have it in the tried and true book form and we have it in the electronic form.
The world is wacky wired today. This has increased my reading time pleasure; I can relax, lose myself in another world or place, and not give a flip about the news or social media. That, my friends, is worth its weight in gold to me.
Jimmy Bass is director of the Coweta Public Library System. He also plays a mean guitar and sings at local venues.
