The Bibliophile Takes a Walk

As many of you know, I love books. Like, LOVE them. When I was younger, I would spend hours at the bookstore, using most of my money on books. When I lived in Provo one spring, the Provo Library was the best place in the world. As I chose my apartment in Maryland last year, I took into account whether I could walk to the library from there. I swear that library was my best friend. I fully believe that the Library of Congress is one of the most amazing things in the world. Ever since elementary school, I have wanted to sleep overnight in a library. So it was only natural that after I had re-exhausted the book collection I have back in California, I would start in on the libraries again.

A few weeks ago I was about a couple hours early for my piano class. Remembering that the main library was nearby, I decided to make a quick trek over to get a library card and a book that I've been wanting to read (The Zookeeper's Wife). I walked past the museum, and was delighted to find that the library wasn't as far as I had thought. Starting up the ramp to the door, I saw two, well-dressed, middle-aged men. "Oh, there must be a board meeting!" I thought, and followed them into the building.

As I walked into the building, I was mildly surprised by a full-scale security checkpoint. Surprised, because, hey, it's a library. Mildly, because I had gotten used to security checkpoints since I often go to the State Building to get approval for public school building plans for work. I removed my backpack, coat, watch, ring, etc., and put them on the x-ray machine belt. I waited patiently as the people in front of me went through the metal detector, and overheard one of them asking where to find the family history section. "Sweet," I thought to myself, "They have genealogy here!". I walked through the metal detector, picked up my coat, put on my backpack and watch, and grabbed the rest of my belongings. Looking around, I was surprised to see a bank of elevators, but no books. Weird, considering I don't remember any anteroom for the library. Confused, I went up to the information desk, and the following conversation took place.

Me: "Hi! How are you today?"

Information Desk Guy: "Good, how are you?"

Me: "I'm doing well. I was just wondering where I could find the books."

IDG: "Books?"

Me: "Yeah, the library books."

IDG: "Do you mean the law library?"

Me: "Ummm... no? I mean, the general library books." then, with realization dawning ever so slowly, "This is the library, isn't it?

IDG: "Ummm... no... This is the Alameda County Courthouse.... Where the hardened criminals go."

Me: "Oh, I see... umm... do you think you could point me to the actual library?"

So he gave me the directions to the actual main library. After thanking him, I made a different sort of walk of shame back past the security checkpoint (as the guards looked at me funnily), and out the door. The remaining walk to the actual library gave me a little time to reflect on exactly how many clues I had been given but single-mindedly ignored as I determinedly made myself believe that the courthouse was the library.

1. The Appearance of the Building

Perhaps the most embarassing part of this story is that in all actuality, I have spent a lot of time in the Oakland Library throughout my life. I went there throughout my youth (my grandmother lived in an apartment complex nearby), and the summer after my freshman year of college, I spent days holed up in the Oakland History section of the library, doing research for my internship. While I have never been in the Courthouse, its distinct architecture has been a landmark in my memoryscape for as long as I can remember. Oddly, whenever I approach the Courthouse from the other side of the Lake, I know that it is the Courthouse. However, whenever I approach it going towards the Lake, even though the building looks the same on all sides, I think of it as the Main Library Building. I am actually able to envision a memory of myself, researching Oakland History in one of its small upper rooms. The most obvious clue to the real identity of the building would be the "STATE OF CALIFORNIA ALAMEDA COUNTY COURTHOUSE" sign on the side of the building. Smart, I know. The building at the above left is the Library, and the one above right is the Courthouse. As you can see, there really shouldn't have been any way for me to get those two confused.

2. The Two Well-Dressed, Middle-Aged Men

I'm pretty sure that the Board of Directors for a library would be partially comprised of people who have other jobs which would not allow them to participate in middle of the week, morning board meetings. I understand now that those men were probably either judges or lawyers.

3. The Security Checkpoint

Why on earth would they have such a heavy security check for a library?

4. The Family "History" Question

I realize now that the person ahead of me had actually asked where the family courts were located, not where the family history section was located. It's funny because I remember my brain thinking that the person ahead of me said "family history" in a weird way, but I just assumed that's what they meant.

5: The Utter and Complete Lack of Books

Does this clue really need an explanation?

So I finally made it to the real Main Library, but I ended up walking a circle around the building before I found the actual entrance to the real library, only to learn that it was closed until noon, and that the hours in general would not work with my schedule. So I ended up sitting on the wall of the Museum, calling Jenny Beluga and talking to her while a bus-load of screaming school children on a field trip unloaded and rampaged around me. Then I went to class. Yeah. So. Books. Books = Good...