The Library is Really Quiet

The Library is a strange place when you think about it. We make jokes about those strict librarians who are always telling you "shhh" as you, as quietly as you can, turn page 5 of the 500 page book you are reading or the "shhh" as you slide that 30 pound book back on the shelf with a heavy thud. But really, the library is a magical place. This silence is not like being at home alone, nor is it like sitting in a doctor's office. But everyone at the library has something in common.

The moment you walk through that door, you can feel it. It's like the air is different in here than out there. You can't even hear the noise of traffic outside. You become separated from the outside world. And there is the connection you share with the people sitting beside you or the people across from you and even the people on the floor blocking the isles with there noses so deep into the books they are reading that they don't see you. You all have a purpose.

Some people come there researching information for their final exams at the college. Others find themselves lost in the sights and smells of an old leather-bound book. Still others, are relaxing in those big comfy arm chairs that they always provide. It's funny, isn't it? How times have changed so much. Nowadays people go to the library for the internet. But, even still, the magic of the library will never change.

I'm currently sitting in the Camden Library. A particularly quiet library. It is nothing like Portland. People are moving slowly, deliberately as if any noise will break the magic. For instance: the man across from me is very slowly opening a letter. But for fear of breaking the atmosphere, he takes his time. And what takes most of us just a few seconds is taking him much longer.

I'm here waiting for my friend to get out of work. I'm trying to keep quiet. I keep waiting for the Librarian to look at me and tell me to "keep it down over there!" The sound of my own keyboard is ringing in my ears. But I can't think of a place I would rather be!!