Einstein & Your Local Library

“All You Need To Know”

Unsplash Photo Credit Matt Feeney

By Guest Contributing Writer: Marc Friedman

"The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library."

Albert Einstein

My friend, Diamond Michael Scott who has a digital bookstore  and is the publisher of two splendid member-supported digital newsletters, “Great Books, Great Minds” and  “Black Books, Black Minds” asked if I would describe my experience with our town's public library.  

Let me say this for starters — In one word, it has been extraordinary.

I live in a small New Jersey community six miles from New York City. The population is about 27,400. Our library houses 142,000 books and materials such as videocassettes, games and assorted multimedia products. However, the treasure trove of riches available to library members is far greater.

Our library is one of 78 individually operated community libraries in four North Jersey counties that formed an alliance called the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS) which provides all the libraries’ members access to their complete books and materials and other resources such as computers, reading rooms and meeting areas.  These libraries have almost 2.5 million books in addition to other media collections. In 2022, a whopping 7,745,858 items were borrowed by members within the BCCLS system.

The BCCLS system operates seamlessly. If I want to borrow a book – perhaps one that was just reviewed in the New York Times – I just open the BCCLS app on my Smartphone, order the book and, typically, it will be delivered to my local library within two days. My library is a treasure chest and my membership card and app are the keys that unlock it. Therefore I have a wealth of riches available to me that extend far beyond those housed locally.

In addition, the BCCLS subscribes to Libby by Overdrive, an online collection of e-books, magazines and other reading materials which can be downloaded onto your digital device. At any one time Libby has a collection of approximately 42,000 e-books and 20,500 audiobooks as it adds and deletes some on an ongoing basis.

And, this is all for free! Each BCCLS library is supported by local taxes. According to library records, our family of two members has saved more than $25,000 over six years by using the library and BCCLS instead of purchasing hard copy or e-books. 

Our library’s philosophy can be expressed in two words, according to the head librarian. They are “access” and potential”.  She sees the library as providing the fullest possible access to help members achieve their greatest potential. This includes not just offering a wide array of books and reading materials. The library also offers ESL classes, computer access and training, movie nights, passport assistance, quiet study rooms, after school study hall for junior high school students from nearby, educational lectures, music programs, babies’ enrichment offerings, and much more. In the librarian’s and my eyes, our community library, located in the middle of town, is the center of community culture and resources.

Different families use the library’s resources differently. A young family with children will use it very differently than a retiree. In my case, being a retiree, I use the library for its vast collection of books. I especially use the library to borrow newly-published books, including those that I’ll be reviewing for “Great Books, Great Minds” and Black Books, Black minds.” 

Here is one example. Recently I read a New York Times review of a new release, the highly-acclaimed “A Most Tolerant Little Town” by Rachel Louise Martin. I wanted to read and review it. I opened up the BCCLS app on my Smartphone. The book was not available locally; it was available in another member library many miles away. I ordered it and in two days I received a text message stating it was available at my local library. If I knew I could not pick up the book during regular business hours, I could request it be placed in a secure outdoor locker where I could obtain the book any time.

I began going to the library in 1952 when I was six years old. I went to libraries throughout grammar, junior high and high schools, and college and graduate school. I remember the card catalogs, stacks of books and reading tables and the code of silence that permeated the air. These memories come riveting back every time I walk through the front doors of my current local library.

Moreover, I never imagined that in a small New Jersey community I would have almost immediate access to millions of books, magazines and other publications, all of which would be obtainable through a Smartphone. This is amazing to me.

On rare occasions I will buy a book when it is unavailable through the BCCLS system or Libby. This occurs only about once a year. For example, I recently wanted to read a crime novel by the great writer of the 20^th century, John D. MacDonald. His acclaimed novel, “The Deep Blue Goodbye,” published 60 years ago, was not available anywhere except iBooks and Amazon so I purchased it. That was a rare exception to my reliance upon BCCLS and Libby.

I feel privileged to be a member of my community library. As the librarian wants, I enjoy access to a vast number of books, magazines and materials. And by reading about new subject matter, through both nonfiction and fiction, my knowledge continues to expand. One example is my newfound interest in Black history which, as a White person, helps me to better understand American history.

Today at the age of 76, my life is still being enriched by my library experience, and I am grateful. It is unlikely that even a genius like Albert Einstein could have envisioned the technology that makes today’s library experience so multi-dimensional, easy, enjoyable and fulfilling.