We had a freak downpour yesterday, but it ended pretty suddenly and then the sun came out. I thought the world looked so fresh and green with all the dew that I hiked up my boots and went walking. I'll go to downtown, I thought. I still haven't gotten a library card yet.
Well, let me tell you, the library was not worth it. I never thought I would say that about a library, but this one was less than appealing. The outside of the building looked proper enough. It was all stone and tall columns and engraved names over the front door. Apparently, this library was a gift from Andrew Carnegie. The inside also looked imposing and ancient, a throwback to the giant private libraries of wealthy lords and scholars. There were tall shelves of books lined in claustrophobic rows along the wood-paneled walls. Most of the shelves were so high I could not even reach the top. The lobby showed a view of the balcony on the second floor as well as more shelves of books and a black-metal railing wrought in French filigree. This library is nice, I thought to myself. After I had signed up for a library card, I went browsing through the shelves and suddenly realized how poorly everything was laid out. The shelves really WERE claustrophobic. They were so close together that I had to squeeze to get in between them (and I'm a pretty small person). The labeling was hard to understand since the letters A-B, C-D, etc. were labeled back and forth in ways that made it hard to find an author's name. I tried looking for G and somehow ended up in K. It took a little meandering to figure out the system. Lastly, I tried going to the bathroom at the library and their bathroom was run-down, with peeling paint and a scratched up floor. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a snob about bathrooms and so if I don't like a bathroom, my opinion of a place goes down the toilet, if you will. Needless to say, I will not be going back to this library. Besides, I have loads of books to read at home. What do I need to go to the library for?
Well, let me tell you, the library was not worth it. I never thought I would say that about a library, but this one was less than appealing. The outside of the building looked proper enough. It was all stone and tall columns and engraved names over the front door. Apparently, this library was a gift from Andrew Carnegie. The inside also looked imposing and ancient, a throwback to the giant private libraries of wealthy lords and scholars. There were tall shelves of books lined in claustrophobic rows along the wood-paneled walls. Most of the shelves were so high I could not even reach the top. The lobby showed a view of the balcony on the second floor as well as more shelves of books and a black-metal railing wrought in French filigree. This library is nice, I thought to myself. After I had signed up for a library card, I went browsing through the shelves and suddenly realized how poorly everything was laid out. The shelves really WERE claustrophobic. They were so close together that I had to squeeze to get in between them (and I'm a pretty small person). The labeling was hard to understand since the letters A-B, C-D, etc. were labeled back and forth in ways that made it hard to find an author's name. I tried looking for G and somehow ended up in K. It took a little meandering to figure out the system. Lastly, I tried going to the bathroom at the library and their bathroom was run-down, with peeling paint and a scratched up floor. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a snob about bathrooms and so if I don't like a bathroom, my opinion of a place goes down the toilet, if you will. Needless to say, I will not be going back to this library. Besides, I have loads of books to read at home. What do I need to go to the library for?
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