Maybe it's because I was never much of a shopper (blame it on the countless hours I spent as a kid with my mother in "the room," a.k.a. the fitting room, watching her try on outfit after outfit), but I could never quite understand the big to-do about Black Friday. Now, I'm all about getting a good deal and saving a little cash just like the person next to me, but getting up alarmingly early or not going to bed to get a deal? Fighting hordes of people to get 1 of 5 items in stock? Getting pepper sprayed by customers trying to beat out others to an Xbox? Tell me I'm missing out on all the fun.
It seems I'm not the only librarian or library staff member who looks at Black Friday with a skeptical eye. Other libraries across the U.S. have developed their own Black Friday marketing strategies. The Newman Regional Library District in Illinois advertised the following, "To be available to the residents of the library district, the library will be open today if you need a change from shopping." Doesn't that just warm your heart and relieve your tired footsies? The Willmar Public Library in Minnesota came up with the idea of having a special storytime for children while their parents went shopping. Wow--those kids don't realize how lucky they are to avoid "the room." Some libraries, like the Spokane County Library District in Washington, offered a quieter shopping alternative to the mall for bibliophiles by holding book sales.
So during this holiday season, I will unabashedly advertise the library as your own little sanctuary away from the maddening crowds, away from the hyper kids, away from the humbugs at work. Think of the library as your own quiet workshop with smiling worker elves ready to fulfill your (literary) wishes. We'll even pass around cookies that you so generously donate (and we happily accept donations!).
May you all have a wonderful holiday season full of peace and quiet moments for reading!
Yours truly, awaiting cookie donations on the perch.
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