Whatever your reason for using or valuing the library --
| if you have a good library story please share it. We intend to produce a "print on demand" commemorative volume that will be available at 2011 Yorkfest. |  |
Perhaps your library story includes that time as well.
My first serious attempt to use libraries might be deemed a bust. A high school teacher wanted us to learn by researching and reporting. Since this was a Nebraska village school district and the class was "shop," I decided to find out how those massive long concrete girders destined for Platte River bridges on Interstate 80 worked. The High School library was a study hall with some book shelves on a couple of walls -- nothing there. World Book Encyclopedia -- nothing there. Public library in our "shopping town" -- nothing. Public library in the "big city" - nothing up to date or directly on target. I knew nothing of professional technical publications, indexes to such publications, etc., and was too timid to ask for assistance. I imagined the answers could be found at the University, but had no idea where to even start looking there. I finally did work up enough courage to talk to people at the company making the girders, and they shared a couple of brochures about their products.
I acquired a Bachelor's Degree and somehow got to the end of a Masters degree program before taking a course on how to use a library ... the very course I should have experienced nearly a decade earlier! I can't imagine how much different my formal education could have been if I'd known how to use the library to best advantage through all those years of schooling.
So my library story is a cautionary tale. Ask library staff for assistance. Visit with staff how to best use the library's resources -- often those conversations can be learning experiences for both parties.
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