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That old library downtown got a makeover and it feels completely different now
I stopped by the main branch on Elm Street last weekend for the first time in like 5 years and they ripped out all the big wooden card catalog tables. Now it's just rows of computer desks and a coffee bar with loud blenders. Am I the only one who misses the quiet shuffle of paper and old book smell?
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singh.blair2d ago
The second floor reading room at my local library stayed exactly the same too when they remodeled last year, and that's where I do all my real reading now. I actually like having the coffee bar downstairs since I can grab a cup and head up without the blender noise following me. Give the upper floors a shot next time, that old book smell is still hanging around up there for sure.
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Hang on, let me defend the new setup for a sec. I was there last Tuesday and actually sat at one of those computers to look up a census record from 1950, which took me like 2 minutes flat. The old card catalog tables were nice to look at but I never actually used them for anything except putting my coffee down. Plus the barista didn't even blink when I asked for a plain black drip coffee, no blender involved. The quiet is still there if you go to the second floor reading room, that section is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago.
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