Recently I joined a members-only website, and in the profile section you're asked to list "5 things you can't live without". The goal here is not to be too literal (none of us can live without water, or air, thanks), but to be clever and stand out a little, while being truthful. I put 'library card' for one of my essentials. Our local library is a seven minute walk away. I've had my card number memorized for years (and have no idea where the actual card is). This knowledge came in handy last year at the Minnesota State Fair. The day I visited, you got a discounted admission ticket if you showed your library card. The young man working the booth let me recite mine instead; I think I may have astonished him.
I thought I'd highlight several titles I've enjoyed (for free!) from the library lately. But first, here's my brother at the main branch of the Seattle Public Library. It's an astonishing building, both architecturally and literarily. Rem Koolhaas was one of the principal designers. It has lots of glass and steel. There are exterior shots here; this site also shows off the four-story "continuous staircase". Parts of each level have slightly sloped floors, and as you follow the slope up or down it takes you all through the four levels non-fiction. There's also a giant conveyor system for returning materials, which my brother thought was "awesome".
