Heart of Town

by Alex Meidunas

Thinking back, libraries have always been a part of my life. I have seen many libraries - even worked in one or two. There have been the public; there have been the school or academic up through university years; the specialized (such as technical, art, and medical); and the personal ones, including my own.

These libraries have come in many shapes and sizes. Many, now, have undergone considerable changes, interiorly, and exteriorly.  Each had its own individual atmosphere.

Of all the libraries I have been in, however, only one has a uniqueness, and particular fascination for me. And it has nothing to do with size or modern architecture. It has to do with quality, and above all….. heart.

Middletown Public Library was pretty special from the moment I walked in. Being an artist, I was immediately taken by the pictures hung on its walls – they said: CLASS.

Then and there, I knew that something was altogether different about this library.

Shortly, the collections themselves caught my eye. The great books had been preserved, while there were certainly plenty of new ones. Overall, it had a special, peculiar feeling of warmth and coziness not found anymore in many libraries – like a comfortable old grandmother whose lap you could sit on as a little kid, and she would tell you all kinds of wonderful timeless stories. As if I could grab a book, a cup of warm milk, and snuggle up in some nook to read it; and I wouldn’t be bothered. And what a great reading area, with great big antique chairs, as if in some important businessman’s club!

It is not a large library, no, the Middletown Public Library. From the outside, it is a humble, old, red-brick building dating back to 1891, contrasting sharply with all the light-colored residential homes situated along Catherine St. It had once, appropriately, been a firehouse.

Regardless of its size, it offers all the essential services of a library, and performs all its necessary functions. It has done so for a very long time, with carefully chosen, competent, and caring staff.

Many people have come through its doors over the years and used its fine services and resources. Most recently, with the growth of the computer age and lines of communication; its informational machines have become an invaluable resource for its patrons. 
Indeed, there are often lines of people waiting to use these wondrous machines. In a town where many can’t afford them, our community-centered library has become an invaluable hub for their use.

Along with ever increasing unemployment, their use has even doubled. The older, pre-computer generations are forced, much to their discomfort, to use them, whether this be to apply for unemployment compensation, to look for jobs, or e-mail their resumes. The staff gently, and understandingly lend a helping hand. There is goodness here – a spirit of benevolence I have not found in other libraries.

Many families, unable now to afford the many essentials of everyday living, can much less afford to buy these fancy computers. Thus, children are forced to come to the library to type up their reports or papers.

The homeless and drifters come to use computers as well: maybe to find their next ride, maybe to find a shelter, or even maybe to get medical care. 

Our humble library has become the lifeblood of the town in this computerized information age - a computer-dominant, and dependant, age.

Middletown Public Library, staff, and computers have become indispensable. They have become, absolutely, the heart of this town.