A few months ago my seven year old son stayed at home from school feeling quite ill. Unfortunately I had a small errand to run and had to drag him along with me. As we headed back to the car we passed by the small public library.
"Mummy," he said although quite sick, "can we go in?"
"Just for a couple of minutes," I responded wanting to get back home quickly.
As I observed my son's eyes light up upon seeing so many new storybooks I decided now is a good a time as any to make him join the library. I mean, we have many storybooks at home for the children but when children really get the reading-bug it is financially daunting to keep up with book purchases. After all isn't that one of the purposes of a public library?
Well, while my son sat peering through the colourful storybooks, eagerly anticipating which one he would want me to read for them that night at bedtime, I approached the librarian. "I would like my three children to join this library," I requested, pulling out my driver's permit. I figured that they might request some form of ID.
"Well," she responded in a monotone, "you need their original, computer-generated birth certificates, your ID and a recent utility bill."
"Wow," I said to her, "don't you think that's a lot to request to join the library?"
She looked at me quizzically.
"I mean," I continued, "some children don't have the computer-generated birth certificates. A number of families are squatters and have no utility bills and some children might want to join but have no parents supporting them and wouldn't have a utility bill. And I mean it's children like these who need the library more since they can't buy any books."
"Well you can always raise the issue with head-office. I can't do anything about it. Those are the necessary requirements," then off she went to tend to more important things.
The disappointment on my son's face was painfully evident when he had to return his selected books back on the shelf.
Needless to say I'm yet to return with the necessary documents.
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