When e-readers became popular and affordable, nay-sayers predicted a ghastly death for public libraries and printed books. However, like the Y2K chaos and numerous forecasts of the end of the world, this has not come to pass. And while many libraries have upgraded their services to meet the needs of 21st century patrons, there is one grass-roots library system in Fresno that has done the opposite.
For Briar Creek Public Library’s first annual “fine amnesty” day, library director Lindsey Norris expected a day of hectic but worthwhile chaos. Allowing tardy miscreants to get off scot-free went against all of stodgy traditional librarian Mrs. Cole’s ethics, but Lindsey believed that the loss of fines would be worth regaining patrons who would feel free to return to the library.
Minerva “Minnie” Hamilton loves being Chilson District Library’s bookmobile librarian, but as the interim director she’s working sixty to seventy hour a week with little time to focus on the job she truly adores. Minnie’s stress levels aren’t lessened one bit when she discovers a body in the library stacks, one quickly identified as Andrea Vennard. In town for her great-aunt’s funeral, the murder seems to trigger a series of acts of vandalism and break-ins around the town, starting with Minnie’s beloved library. And as much as Chilson Deputy Ash Wolverson might want to help his girlfriend, his being trained as a detective mostly sidelines into an observing role.
Jenny Weston moved back to Bear Falls, Michigan, following her divorce, not that she told her mom about that. It seemed best at the time to say she’d come for a visit. Now she’s got to break the news and doesn’t know quite where to begin.
There’s an old joke among librarians, “Public libraries would be so much better if we could just get rid of the public.” What if…the world was ruled by the Library, private ownership of books was a death-penalty crime, and books and authors that went against Library interpretations of what should and should not be known disappeared, frequently?
The Lighthouse Library is celebrating Bertie’s tenth anniversary at the library. A big storm is coming so as soon as the cake’s cut and eaten, guests head for home. For Lucy, that’s a short commute as she lives above the library in the lighthouse itself. The bright light of the beacon doesn’t bother her but on this particular night, between flashes, she sees a light bobbing in the water, like a boat being tossed by the waves.
Walk through the doors of the new Betty Rodriguez Library and you’ll walk into the future. Enter another world; one with limitless possibilities at your fingertips.
When asked to write this article, I pondered where to start and in which direction to go. I decided that I would start somewhere in the middle—the day I went to get my first library card to be exact.
In the year 2031, the Great Library of Alexandria exists as the only legal repository for original books in the world. To own a book is to risk death; the library enforces its proclamations with the ruthless Garda who conduct raids without mercy. Even personal journals are ultimately owned by the library, as the Doctrine of Mirroring allows rare Obscurists to recreate every book in print to be housed within the library.
As winter descends on Chilson, Michigan, no one knows the value of the district library's bookmobile more than its assistant director, Minnie Hamilton. Having lost a grant, and with an expected bequest being contested by disgruntled heirs, Minnie has only six months of operating funds to keep her beloved bookmobile running.
