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Library stories: Read this one (get it?)

The Seattle Public Library and other systems are facing tighter budgets. But city governments and people are, too. Photo source: Seattle Public Library

Since I left my full-time job last year and became a father a few years ago, there is one place that I’ve truly enjoyed visiting: The public library.

My visits to libraries wherever I was have gone up and down, based on my age, interests and point in life.

But I’ve always gone back – even during an era when it’s easy to argue that information is at your digital fingertips with the Internet and especially hipster phones such as the iPhone.

There are many reasons why I’ve returned to libraries over the decades:

They offer a quiet place to read, reflect and study.

I’ve used libraries in Silicon Valley (as a kid), Guangzhou and Beijing (as a foreign language student), New York City (as a graduate student) and Seattle and its suburbs (as a parent and just ordinary person).

Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel in the past.

Here’s a catch: Libraries need money to operate (meaning to stay open at the least) - and budget cutbacks have arrived.

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With the new, there’s the old: Architecture in Beijing, Seattle and Kandovan

It’s really easy to do – and I do it all the time: Glom on to the new, the sleek designs of architecture, furniture, automobiles and ships.

These designs, as epitomized by the blueprint from Rem Koolhaas for the new CCTV building in Beijing, amaze. Just take a look at the video introduction of the landmark building in China’s capital.

The designs show how an architect envisions a building relating to its place on the ground and against the sky and surrounding structures.

Sharp angles stick out, lines bend and others flow seamlessly for what appears to be endless continuity. People like it.

At least, I do.

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