I was only going to be at the library for a minute, I told myself.  I’m going to just dash in, pay the fine that I owe for some overdue books, and then head straight home.  Forty-five minutes later, I was finally on my way home.  So where did all the time go?

Well, first I stopped to watch artist and teacher, Bennie Johnson Wood, teach a room of children how to create masterpieces of art with only crayons.  They were all having so much fun that I wished I’d brought my box of crayons so I could join them. 

Then I stopped for a minute or two to admire a few of the bronze sculptures.   And, of course, I had to look at the new books displayed on a book carousel for a couple of more minutes.  I was almost to the counter to pay my fine when I saw the photographs. Hundreds of photos posted on a wall that seemed to be a mile long.  I had forgotten that the library was displaying all the photo entries for the Haltom City Photo Contest.  Well, I certainly wasn’t leaving without looking at each and every one of them!  They all looked like winners to me. Vipha N. Guerrero won Best of Show as well as first place winner for the newest category “A City of Readers” created in honor of the library’s 50^th anniversary. Congrats Vipha!

The library staff stay busy but they somehow always manage to be so friendly and helpful that I’m sure I probably spent a few minutes saying “hi” and “how are you doing?” with two or three of them before I glanced my watch and saw what time it was.  “Oops, gotta go.  Bye.” 

It’s easy for us to spend forty-five minutes or an hour or two in a library.  We browse through the books, magazines, DVD’s, the art displays, spend time on the computers, or sit and read in a comfortable chair or attend a class.  But have you ever wondered what a librarian does all day in the library?  Now’s your chance to not only find out, but catch them in the act with your camera. 

National Library Week is April 10-16 and as part of “create your own story at your library”, Wednesday, April 13, 2011 is Library Snapshot Day at the Haltom City Public Library.  This event is an ALA, American Library Association, planned event to provide a way for libraries to show their communities what a typical day for librarians and staff entails.  I think we will all be amazed at just how much they do and the variety of services they provide.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that when I arrived home this evening, I realized that I had forgotten to pay my library fine?  Oh well, another excuse to visit my favorite library and librarians.