The time of the pamie.com book drive, that is. I gave some classics this year -- The Outsiders, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Cat in the Hat -- to balance out that weird book about the Pakistani chicken I gave last year. They were from the Spring Valley Branch's wishlist, which, now that I glance at it again, is absolutely begging for someone to buy the Hulk Sticker Extravaganza.
And I'm still trying to stay apolitical, but my god does it suck that libraries have to rely on the fabled kindness of strangers -- even when it's a lot of kind strangers -- for these sorts of things. It does concern me that Those In Charge will look at things like this and think, "if private citizens will take care of community programs, the government can get away with slashing funding! Hey, could you hand me another tax cut?" while they lean back in their leather chairs and count their money like Scrooge McDuck. But then I picture strung-out school board members trying desperately to fight budget cuts and not knowing what to do, and I feel better.
Still, I hope Those In Charge realize these donations do not absolve them of one ounce of their obligation to the people of their districts, counties, states, country, damn it. I mean it.
This is appropriately timed, too, because I've been using the D.C. public library system more lately. Its main branch is walking distance from my office, and although it's sort of a depressing building full of people doing more sleeping on the tables than reading, which honestly I do not begrudge them but is really sad but that's another story, I've been shocked at how great its selection is. Almost everything I look for is there. I've been going down my Amazon wishlist and being pretty psyched… I love that library-shelf thrill of the chase…
Anyway. Help give that to someone else: Go donate a book. It will make you feel good, it will help nice librarians, and maybe it'll somehow stick it to Those In Charge, the greedy selfish jerks.
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