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A Lifetime Love Affair With Libraries
I’m in big trouble.
While unpacking boxes from our family’s recent move to our Forever Home, I discovered an overdue library book.
Fifty-six years overdue.
Yankee Doodles by Milton Gross, copyright 1948, was checked out of the local District Heights, MD, library by me on September 28, 1966.
Five-and-a-half decades later, I can’t recall the exact circumstances behind this faux pas. I was 11 years old.
I occasionally came across this book over the years, but life always got in the way and I never got past good intentions. With my voracious appetite for all-things-baseball, I’m sure this wannabe major leaguer checked it out (during President LBJ’s term in office) with good intentions to consume its stories about my heroes and return it before it was due.
Oops?
My lifetime passion for baseball is perhaps only matched by my appetite for reading. Even as a youngster, I loved books, magazines and, a bit farther down the road, newspapers. Early on, I devoured the written word complements principally of my town’s quaint library. Located around the corner from the local elementary school I attended, it was nothing more than a small white cottage, likely a home in a previous life. In those days, kids walked to and from school, and the library was a frequent stop on my way home after I got off my safety patrol post.
Our District Heights library was a three-room, 468-square-foot wood building located on land donated to the town by the next-door Tudge family. It was opened on July 18, 1954, on Old County Road, where it remained until closing permanently on March 13, 1987, in anticipation of the opening of the Spauldings Branch on Old Silver Hill Road.
The building was originally the construction shack (a small house) at a site near the Citizens Bank on Old Silver Hill Road down from Kay Cee Drugs. The Town purchased the building and moved it to 600 County Road.
Its three small rooms were floor-to-ceiling shelved with adventures, suspense and thrillers, detectives and mysteries, history, romance, fantasies and dreams, sci-fi, biographies and autobiographies, literary fiction, and classics by gifted authors. The entire cube of the structure gave new meaning to the term book nook. The building couldn’t possibly have held 20 people at any one time.
District Heights Library County Road
Page from DH’s 25th-anniversary booklet, compliments of Bob Brown, Crofton, MD
Library service in District Heights and other areas of Prince George’s County was initially provided by bookmobile beginning in 1946. Early in 1948, Mrs. John (Mitchell) Lyman asked the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System’s Board of Trustees to expand the town’s service. As a result of that request and the work of a succession of library committees, a branch was opened in the basement of the District Heights Presbyterian Church, which I also attended. This library was the third branch in the county, following Laurel and the Hyattsville City Library, later known as Magruder. It preceded the move to the small white cottage that became an after-school destination for me.
Books were arranged left to right on each shelf, top shelf to bottom shelf. They were, of course, meticulously accounted for by the Dewey Decimal Classification, colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, a cataloging structure used in U.S. libraries since the 1870s when Melvil Dewey developed it and attached his name to it. Our small library included an old 6×8 drawer Dewey Decimal System cabinet chock-full of cards, each with two notches at the bottom, typed and filed together in alphabetical order, with separate cards for the author, title and subject.
In my mind’s eye, I can still see the small steel table with a green top with a couple of chairs for folks to sit and peruse their books or magazines of choice or perhaps to accommodate students doing research or working on school projects, including book reports.
Immediately to the right of the library’s front entrance was the cramped but uber-organized environs of the librarian, Mrs. Shirley Brashears. I recall her name because we were buds — I as a respectful young lad and regular visitor, and she as the guardian of the tomes, the Dewey, and the Code of Silence. The latter was strictly enforced by Mrs. Brashears. No matter the conversation, hushed volume control was absolutely required in the modest space. Otherwise, the obligatory “shhh” and “that librarian look” would emanate from the throne. And you didn’t want to be shhh’ed twice.
Mrs. Brashears knew everything, or so it seemed. She didn’t need to use the Dewey because she knew where every book and resource was located; however, I recall that she always took the time with young readers to escort us to the long drawers of the cabinet to teach us how to use the classification system. Then she guided us to the general location of the book we sought and had us find it on the shelves. She was a powerful search engine, but with a heart. She also pretty much knew the names of every resident of our town. Mrs. Brashears was a special person to our community and to me, using her unique skills and passion for connecting people to information looonnng before the world even considered what the definition of digital might turn out to be. She lived the precept that libraries weren’t the destination — they were the transportation to a wealth of knowledge.
Libraries — whether government, public, academic, special-focus or historic — are treasure troves of information, including corroboration of and lessons learned from history’s greatest and most creative minds. Regardless of fiction or nonfiction genres, books open windows to the world. Their cache of titles has the power to transport bibliophiles of every age to unimagined locales and the riches that come with knowledge.
But they’re soooo much more. Let me count the ways and perhaps jog some of your own bibliotheca experiences. First of all, access is free. And so is the Wi-Fi. Your local library can pinch-hit as your office. It’s a spot of quiet solitude — one of the few places you can go where folks aren’t constantly on their phones. It is one of the best places to learn the history of your local area. Books aren’t cheap in the retail world, but you can walk out of your local library having borrowed multiple titles on myriad subjects. The children’s section! Some libraries even host free weekly story-time events and all matter of classes. It’s no longer your momma’s library sans computers — they’ve become technology hubs. And unless you’re the odd bird who is anti-reading, perhaps the most unique ingredient is that you are guaranteed to find something on the shelves that inspires you. What’s not to like?
Google? I’m a fan and perpetual user. For a good reason, Google is the reigning and future champ of search; indeed, I’d go so far as to state that the search engine is virtually indispensable. That being said, libraries and librarianship have their own unique chops — check out this article where the author provides 10 reasons why libraries are still better than the Internet.
But I digress.
I suspect that Mrs. Brashears would not be pleased with my Yankee opus being 20,363 days overdue.
I knew I was likely in rarified air. The Guinness World Record for the highest library book fine ever paid is $345.14 for a book of poetry due 47 years earlier.
I further tapped the googles with the query, “What happens if you never returned a library book?” Here’s the frightening response: “Should an item never be returned and the cost of the item never paid, the Library Gods will assess the amount of time lost by the item from the community. This time will be deducted from the offending patron’s life.” I never really considered this option. Honest. I was just curious.
I took a deep breath and called the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. Fessing up, expressing remorse, and taking full responsibility, I told my story to the head of the Adult Services Department, concluding with an assurance of my intent to return the wayward book just unearthed from a moving box.
The rep barely suppressed a chuckle when I outlined the duration of time I had the book in my possession. I reflexively knew the reason for the long pause on the other end of the call. I broke the silence by inquiring as to what my fine would be for such an egregious offense. More silence. More heart palpitations. I was informed that the fine for overdue books was, until recently, 25 cents per day. I’d apparently avoid jail time by stroking a check for $5,090.75.
Fortunately, the librarian showed mercy on me. Perhaps she was a Yankees fan. Maybe she heard my passion for my old hometown and the long-gone library of my youth. Whatever the reason, I was told that the fine would be waived if I returned the book, a condition that I gladly accepted to dodge the fine … and do the right thing, of course. She added that the fine system was done away with in July 2020; instead, the “fine” today is the cost to find and purchase the AWOL book for the library’s shelves as a replacement for the original.
Whew!
Before I head to the post office, methinks that I’ll take this weekend to reread the book. It’s been awhile, and I’m sure it’s a good read.
Don’t forget your local library. Granted, there are many ways to connect people to information in these times. If you don’t include your local library as one of your resources, do yourself a favor and set aside an hour for a visit. And get yourself a library card. You’ll be happy you found each other … just like a good book.
LSomerbyCooke Addendum …
My sincere thanks to the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System for their historical research tied to the District Height’s library, particularly the Adult Services/Prince George’s Room department of the Hyattsville Branch Library and the Administrative Offices of PGCMLS. When looking for facts to back up my fond memories I, of course, turned to the library gurus, and, as is always the case, they didn’t let me down.
For a quick and fun read, check out this RD.com article titled “11 Crazy Overdue Library Books That Were Finally Returned.”
Finally, the last couple of years have been particularly challenging for libraries and library workers. Despite challenges, libraries have stepped up, continuing to provide critical services and develop innovative programs. Check out the ALA -published State-of-Americas-Libraries Report 2024.
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David Wolf
While I’m glad you avoided a four digit fine, any money in support of local libraries is money well spent. I recently wrote to our local Library executive to share my praises for librarians, stating that they should be running the world. I recently had a very positive personal experience with the Forest History Society based in North Carolina. Some backstory:
My paternal grandfather, Robert E. Wolf, was a forester with connections to the government over his lengthy career and even in retirement. The bio from the Forest History Society:
“Robert Wolf (1920-2005) was a professional forester and a forest policy analyst in Washington, D.C. whose career spanned 45 years with the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of the Budget, the U.S. Senate, and the Congressional Research Service. Wolf was involved in the enactment of conservation and related legislation from 1956 to 1984, including the 1960 Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act, the 1964 Wilderness Act, the 1974 Resources Planning Act, and the 1976 National Forest Management Act.”
The collection includes correspondence, reports, position papers, research data, maps, photographs, and other materials related to the professional activities and personal life of forester Robert E. Wolf. Topics include the timber industry, timber sales, wildfires and recovery, national forests, forest management, finances and profitability, federal support, various branches of government, and forestry and environmental organizations.
To brag on him for a second, he was also recognized with the Sir William Schlich Award in 2004, which recognizes “broad and outstanding contributions to the field of forestry with emphasis on, but not limited to, policy and national or international activities”. The first two recipients were President Franklin D Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot (father of the US Forest Service). In the world of forestry, he was kind of a big deal.
When my grandfather passed away in 2005, the Forest History Society came and collected all the writings, documents, and such from his personal office in Maryland. They documented and filed all of them, and listed them here. I was just starting my masters, and while he certainly influenced my pursuit of the natural sciences, he didn’t live to see the career path I ended up in.
Late in the afternoon one day, I emailed them with a list of documents I was hoping to read. The next day, less than 24 hours after my email, they emailed me 750 pages of PDFs fulfilling my request. All free of charge.
How they took the office I remember seeing as a child and turned it into records they can categorize and find so quickly is beyond me.
As I said, Librarians should be running the world.
Richard Gratton
I too had a wayward library book story. In my first public school year, it was “Ed Emberly’s How to Draw a World”. I was in 6th grade. I checked the book out about 9 times in succession. Its due date was over the summer the last time I checked it out. I never returned to the school, as the next year I was off to Junior High. I got interested in other things; also having to deal with being a freshman at a much larger school. I found the book many years later when packing myself off for college. It was found again a decade later, when consolidating my life from many locations across the country.
I read an article about my first public school library getting a large upgrade. and it sparked the memory of that book. I went and searched my bookshelves and there it was amongst the many art books I have collected over the years. I searched Amazon and low and behold that book is still in print and even in a hardback version. I purchased 10 of said book and shipped them to a friend who still lives in that town, to be delivered to the grand reopening of that little school’s new and improved library, with a letter “To whom it may concern,” telling my story and how much that book meant to me over the years. I wanted lots of kids to get the opportunity to “Draw their own world!” I know in today’s highly digital age this might not get the same play I got out of it as the drawings are simple, easily done with crayons or markers or pencils. But the dragons and spaceships, trains and trucks, cities and far away landscapes that I created from that book will be forever ingrained in my psyche.
Sam Dannaway
We need more search engines with a heart; sadly I expect they are going the way of the “brick and mortar” book. As a kindle reader, I have no choice but to contribute to the demise.
Suitland Library on Silverhill Road was also open in the ’60s.
Bucky Harris was also a manager of the Nats, having led them to their only two pennants ever, 1924 and 1925, for the AL version of the team.
Bob Brown
FYI, the original Washington Nationals/Senators also won the AL pennant in 1933. That team moved and became the Minnesota Twins in the 1961 season and in that same season the new Washington Senators and Los Angeles Angels became the first expansion teams. The “expansion” Senators moved and became the Texas Rangers in 1972.
Sam Dannaway
… and another commonality …
I was Captain of the Patrols at Shadyside Elementary. Hated scrubbing that white belt with ajax to get it white again, every week.
Reed Sprague
Thank you, Lee. Great observations. Once again, you’ve hit on a very important topic.
Public libraries were and still are vital to our society. I use many different libraries here in north Georgia. I am on the road in north Georgia most days (from roughly north of I-20 (south Atlanta) up to the Tennessee/NC border). Many people do not realize that most libraries nowadays have private study rooms that can be used as offices. I use them all the time. All I need is my laptop, briefcase, notepad and phone. I am able to conduct business from these rooms just as I am from my office. Most libraries allow me to make and receive phone calls in these rooms! I am even able to scan and print, make presentation packets, take continuing education courses (many librarians will proctor online continuing education tests) and on and on. North Georgia’s library system is set up in such a way that only two library cards are required to access any public library in the entire region. I would be lost without public libraries. In fact, if public libraries were not available to me, I would not be able to function unless I rented one (or even several) offices throughout the region. Doing so would be cost prohibitive.
Bob Brown
Thank you, Lee. Great observations. Once again, you’ve hit on a very important topic.
Public libraries were and still are vital to our society. I use many different libraries here in north Georgia. I am on the road in north Georgia most days (from roughly north of I-20 (south Atlanta) up to the Tennessee/NC border). Many people do not realize that most libraries nowadays have private study rooms that can be used as offices. I use them all the time. All I need is my laptop, briefcase, notepad and phone. I am able to conduct business from these rooms just as I am from my office. Most libraries allow me to make and receive phone calls in these rooms! I am even able to scan and print, make presentation packets, take continuing education courses (many librarians will proctor online continuing education tests) and on and on. North Georgia’s library system is set up in such a way that only two library cards are required to access any public library in the entire region. I would be lost without public libraries. In fact, if public libraries were not available to me, I would not be able to function unless I rented one (or even several) offices throughout the region. Doing so would be cost prohibitive.
LSomerbyCooke
Thanks for the history sleuthing, Bob! I’ve quickly updated the account to reflect your finds. I knew that I should have put out a call to my fellow and former DH residents! 🙂 As a related aside, I’m not the least bit surprised that your dad had a hand in compiling the 25th anniversary booklet. I well recall Mayor Roll’s long tenure with the town. Again, THANKS!
Connie Oleksak
Enjoyed this — wow! I lived 3 doors down beginning in 1963 and loved that sweet little library! I owe my love of books to that library and dream of one day living close to a library again. I am wondering about one thing. We knew the Tudges, but if my memory is correct, they didn’t move next door to the library until years after the library had opened. Another family with a Polish(?) sounding name lived in that house when I was a young child and then they moved away. Perhaps the Tudges owned the land and the house next door and rented it out for a while before moving (back) into the house? Or maybe the county rented the land from the Tudges and eventually the Tudges donated it. Just curious about that but it’s a very minor detail! Thanks again for this piece about my beloved library!