Tried to return a library book (and links about COVID & holidays)

[sonia]

It's a mild, rain-free evening and it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow, so I decided to walk over to the library and return a book that's due tomorrow. I missed my chance by an hour. The libraries are closed again because of rising COVID-19 infection rates. It makes sense, and it's not like I'll be charged a late fee or anything, but couldn't they have warned me??

Multnomah County is on a 30 day "freeze" starting tomorrow. Since I hadn't started socializing or eating in restaurants, I didn't think it would change much for me. I forgot about the library pickup service. But I've been reading the news, and the libraries weren't mentioned anywhere!

At least the Oregon governor and county leadership are admitting we have a problem and are taking steps.

I keep seeing articles about how we shouldn't ... shame? chastise? people whose behavior is spreading COVID-19 because somehow that will make things worse by adding "stigma" so people won't admit they're sick. It reminds me of the "let's all be nice to Trump supporters now" ideas going around. Uh, NO. I like what gaudior wrote: On Fighting AND Feeding Our Enemies.

I like the ideas about peer pressure and being a good example and speaking up if we see someone we know not wearing a mask. What's upsetting is when I express dismay at someone not wearing a mask with people outside their household (seen on zoom, so not immediately dangerous to me), and someone else says there shouldn't be "public shaming." Like protecting people's right to feel comfortable is more important that protecting everyone's health.

I'm a little mad that I don't get to use my library even to the limited extent of picking up books through their hold service. I'm a lot mad that hundreds of thousands of people are dying in a US humanitarian catastrophe because people can't pull their heads out of their asses and think about the consequences of their actions on others.

Jews already had our major holidays. Christmas will be OK—take it from this Jewish mom. Some of us have had many holidays home alone in years past, and maybe it wasn't fun, but we got through it. All the folks panicking about Thanksgiving and Christmas being different from their traditions will, too.

To me, this is a no brainer: If You Love Your Family, Cancel This Year's Holiday Gathering by Hannah Smothers. Do you love these people? Stay away from them! Exercise some care!

More relevant links from rydra_wong: COVID holidays linkdump

Comments

[minoanmiss]

Well and truly said. Also, my roommates (gingicat in my journal, plus others I mention) are Jewish, fwiw.

[sonia]

Thanks! *waves* to gingicat and others! I think "these holidays are being celebrated in difficult circumstances and we're adapting as needed" is more baked in to Judaism than Christianity.

[minoanmiss]

It's downright traditional in Judaism, from what I've seen :)

[runpunkrun]

Multnomah County Library had been pretty good about sending out emails regarding their Covid policies. It's surprising they'd just shut down without a word! I hadn't heard anything in the local news either.

[sonia]

Yeah, I would have expected advance notice too. They just sent out a notice this morning. I wonder if a staff person got COVID and that's why they shut down suddenly.

[jesse_the_k]

Ughhh, losing library contact feels so personal to me. Our libraries have shifted money to ebook/eaudiobook acquisition, which helps a little.

For me visiting the library is close to a religious experience: architecture devoted to a wonderful cause, filled with people sharing a desire to learn, from every social stratum.

[sonia]

Yes, your description of being in a library! It's a little different for me, more of a sense of a treasure trove and gratitude - you mean I can get just about any book, for free, just by searching and clicking "Hold"!?

A few months ago, they moved my closest library from a tiny boxy space in a strip mall to a beautiful soaring old building that used to house the library book sales, named "Title Wave." (Feel free to groan, I did pretty much every time I biked by there.) Of course no one except staff has been allowed inside yet. Finding the book drop locked was a real shock.

Here, have a picture.

Oh! Oh! It's a Carnegie!

[jesse_the_k]

Andrew Carnegie's reputation-washing worked.

Free public libraries are a truly wonderful part of the United States. I clearly remember the happy day with the MPL catalog became available over dialup. I was impressed by the thoughtful statement re "why we moved the library."

In terms of municipal changes since the pandemic, the bus line I've been riding since I moved here in 1973 was deleted, although a lots of the service is still available on nearby lines. Madison has excellent ridership for its size because the large downtown employers provide bus passes to their workers. But government and university folks are most able to work-from-home.

Re: Oh! Oh! It's a Carnegie!

[sonia]

Yeah, beautiful building, and a good letter acknowledging the difficulty of yet more change right as the pandemic shutdown happened. I live smack in between the old location and the new one, so for me it just means more walks in the opposite direction when it's open.

Ugh, I hope they reinstate your bus line when all this is over. That's a lot worse than a moved library location.