My book club met at the old library downtown and I saw the checkout counter got replaced

We used to meet at the old Carnegie library on Main Street for our monthly debates. Last week I walked in and noticed they swapped out the original marble checkout counter for some cheap laminate thing. It had that pretty worn down edge from decades of people leaning on it. The new one just looks like a desk from an office supply store. Has your local library changed something that made you feel like a piece of the place was gone?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_campbell28d ago

Right, because nothing says "welcome to the library, please browse our vast collection of human knowledge" like a counter from a Staples clearance aisle. That worn marble edge was basically a historical artifact, the library equivalent of a beaten up guitar owned by some famous blues guy. Now the new one probably has a cup holder and a spot for a tablet stand, like they're trying to run a WeWork out of the reference section. I'd start a petition but I'm too busy mourning all the elbow grooves from 1923.

theawest28d ago

My grandpa worked at that library in the 60s and he said the marble counter had a chip from when someone threw a copy of Moby Dick at a patron who wouldn't stop talking.