Watching the sun set in streaks of pink and orange, I decided that today was My Official First Day of Fall. (MOFDOF)
The early morning air was crisp, so I pulled on a thick woolen sweater. The front lobby floor into the Library was strewn with crunchy leaves, swirled in from the browning London Plane trees that line the brick sidewalks. The first Library customer exited with a voter registration form in hand; today was the last day to register for this November's election and he didn't want to miss "this historic moment". (And how pleased I was to hear national radio news stations throughout the day name"your public library" as the place to pick up a registration form.)
And, the librarians are back! Every year around this time the Internet Librarian conference happens just down the street from the Monterey Public Library. Sidewalks fill with energetic information professionals, conversations range from coffee-to-go to 2.0, and some of the smartest, most engaged and service-oriented folks you might ever hope to meet are dreaming, thinking and planning out loud - together - to improve library services in schools, businesses and communities.
Of course, I may be a bit biased :) And yet, you, too, might have felt something special in the air as these 21st century librarians walked through the fallen leaves past the plaque proclaiming Monterey Public Library as California's first public library, founded 159 years ago. Trees green, brown and green again, generations succeed each other - and the idea of a library - the vision of inspiring, delighting and educating all - continues to thrive.
Happy learning, happy reading/viewing/listening/sharing, happy Fall!
