Today I worked at a branch of the library that is located inside the town’s major mall.  It’s down near Sears, with a steady stream of people walking by and  I could hear the mall Christmas music playing as I worked.  During my five hour shift the mall walkers stopped in after their workouts to read the local paper and chat in comfortable groups, and lots of people ducked in for a quick check of emails on  our internet computers.  At least three husbands were there reading while their wives shopped, and I noticed a couple of  male teens  reading and rocking in comfortable rocking chairs back by the teen fiction section.  Lots of people were looking at the DVDs as well, but I checked a lot of books out which always makes me smile.

All in all I think it’s a pretty successful branch, an example of putting the library where the people are; making it accessible while they’re doing their everyday stuff,  rather than making a visit to the library a special trip that  all too often is put off until another day.  It’s proof that if you build a beautiful, functional, convenient space, people will come.