I work at a library. When I'm not hacking away at my writing or running or reading or doing one of the million other things I try to cram into a day, I am a reference assistant at a big library (not a librarian mind you). I'm not as proud as I should be about this, because, you know, libraries are pretty great. Especially mine. Lots of books and computers and DVDs, a place for homeless people to catch some winks during the day, a refuge for all the insane street-wanderers as well and the punk teens and the new mothers and the retired grandfathers and all the lonely types. Plus library people are edgy. We read banned books, we thumb our nose at the patriot act, we're recycling and anti-consumerist by our very nature, and we'll answer just about any question in the stratosphere, no matter how bizarre. Whenever someone says they don't go to the library because they buy all their books, I have to assume they don't read much and that they don't know how cool the library is. But if you're one of those book-buying types, keep it up. The publishing industry needs your dollars to keep the big wheels of the book biz turning. Then you can donate your books to the library! The only thing is, I sort of wish we could change the word library to something else, because that word has taken on a dowdy connotation. Maybe we could call our public libraries bookapaloozas or something, something fun, so peoples' eyes would light up when I say I work at one.