Odie goes to the library

I like this author - he combines mystery with spirituality without being too overt...

okay she sat in the car, but I didn't. Odie and I went to the West Des Moines Public Library today after I got home from work. I got a new library card. Okay it isn't really even a card. That's right - library cards aren't even cards anymore. They're bar codes! My new bar code just got applied onto my little plastic tab that is my Urbandale Public Library Card. So it's now a two-fer!

And it attaches to my key chain. Much different than back when I was a kid. Back then, I just had a number at the Atlantic Library. All I had to do to check out a book was to write that number down on the card and the nice librarian stamped it with the very special date stamp. Man I loved those stamps. They let me know how long I could keep my friends - the books. Nancy Drew, all those Happy Hollisters, the Bobbsey Twins - I wanted to live with those families.

Then later in Creston I had a firm cardboard credit card sized ticket to book happiness for many years, until they went to their electronic system. 3893, I believe that was my number. I loved the little envelopes glued into each book. They don't do that anymore, since there aren't any cards. I spent a lot of time at the Creston Library - Matilda Gibson it was called. It's a great library, and I loved how there wasn't as much competition for the new books.

I checked out a couple books and an audiobook with my barcode. Pretty cool, huh. Even though I have an electronic reader, I still like the feel of real books in my hands. I'm sure the WDM library and I will be seeing a lot of each other.