A Quiet Library

Transcript

1. The public library on Cross Street is louder than people expect.
2. Silence ended years ago, and few visitors seem to miss it.
3. The ground floor holds computers, and every one is usually taken.
4. People apply for jobs there, because a phone is not enough.
5. Upstairs the reading room keeps the old rules and the old lamps.
6. Students take the long tables early and leave coats as claims.
7. The children's corner runs a story hour on Tuesday afternoons.
8. For one hour the whole building sounds like a small school.
9. Librarians answer questions that have nothing to do with books.
10. They print forms, explain letters, and point people toward an office.
11. Borrowing is still free, which surprises visitors from other countries.
12. The heating works, and in winter that alone brings people in.
13. Nobody is asked why they came or how long they will stay.
14. That is unusual now, and it is worth more than the shelves.
15. At six the lights blink twice and the reading room empties.