A Rare Sight

For readers of a certain age, a library's card catalog was a treasure trove of serendipitous delights. In addition to allowing you to find out the library's holdings about the topic that interested you, there was always the chance that while looking up that subject or author, you might find yourself following the siren calls of subjects or authors hitherto unknown to you.

I haven't seen a card catalog for more years than I can remember, but today, in Tryon's Lanier Library, where my cousin L works part-time, I could not resist opening some of those lovely long drawers and remembering the pleasures now past.

The Lanier Library was begun by five local women in 1889, who felt the town needed a local library. Named for Sidney Lanier, a famous poet of the South, the library's holdings began with two volumes of his poems, donated by his widow.

It's a warm, welcoming place, with an excellent selection of books, periodicals, and media, and offers monthly Brown Bag Lunch programs, a summer children's program, and an outstanding Poetry Festival in April, which is one of the reasons we chose to come this month.

Prior to my visit with L to this library, I enjoyed her monthly book club meeting, at which the author of the book featured that month fielded questions and read from her book, In the Bed She Was Born In (2006). It's a fascinating multigenerational story of two Southern families, one white and one African-American, focusing on the women of those families in the context of historical and societal changes over several generations.

And before that, we enjoyed the local Kiwanis Club's weekly meeting (L is president), which had an outstanding speaker, about whom Phil wrote at length in his journal entry, well worth a read! (I can't do links on my iPad, so just look for Pilipo on Blipfoto...)