Depths and Shallows

Still waters run deep, the saying goes....  an apt warning for people standing at the edge of a river for the first time, or appproaching a new relationship. It is useful advice for fishermen contemplating how deep to set the bait beneath their float, too.

Libraries can seem still and peaceful at first glance, but the tides and currents of our community run strongly through the public spaces of our branches.  Old friends meet each other unexpectedly at the self-checking stations, or gather at the lounge by the periodical shelves for long, quiet (or not so quiet) chats and reminiscences, and new friends are discovered.

Younger children make new friends among the picture books, while pairs and groups of teens lurk on the padded benches behind the tall shelves of YA and Graphic Novels, testing the depths of relationships - actual or potential.

Solitary teens and adults line the study benches, eyes blind to the tourist-delighting views of wilderness and mountains beyond the windows next to them.  Essays are written, exams swotted for, family histories and novels are researched, plotted, and edited, and business deals done.

Much of it is done sotto voce, but every now and then there is a crescendo of laughter or anger, or the bass rumble of a snore as a weary reader nods off to sleep.  Toddlers run between shelves and parents, loudly proclaiming their discovery of an exciting DVD or book.  Children's story times are full of song, clapping, and laughter, while children's craft and art sessions produce remarkable feats of effort, creativity, and concentration - followed by loud pride as the results are displayed for parents or grandparents.

Sometimes parents sit in neutral corners of the children's area, and the only traffic between them is the pitter patter of little feet, or occasional, quietly sad or bitter glances.

Our patrons drift in and out, turning up unexpectedly at a small branch when they are normally found at head office, or vice versa.  Book clubs and writers groups blossom, and sometimes wither, plans are made, and politics discussed.  Given the fractured state of politics in Australia today, the discourse in our libraries is remarkably polite and thoughtful - but perhaps that is due to the innate respect most people still have for the remarkable institution that is the library.

As the current of Mountains life swirls through the shelves, around the photocopiers and printers, and across the circulation and reference desks, the librarians are in the midst of the flow, directing traffic, answering questions, and assisting with technology.  We know better than any just how deep this river is, as we catch glimpses and hints of the vast and varied interests, hopes, dreams, desires, fantasies, trials, and tribulations of those it sweeps through our doors.

Next time you feel you've lost contact with humanity, or the world at large, find a comfortable spot in your local library and sit quietly, or amble for a while among the shelves.  Keep your ears and eyes open - serendipity lives in libraries, and all the best people turn up there sooner or later - including you.