The beginning – Libraries No. 1 to No. 4
You don’t fully appreciate what it’s like to know peace and have a quiet place to be until you don’t (for an extended time). I only have time to document this now because I have come out the other end and my sanctuary is restored!
What was this time of disturbance you ask? Recently my family (son, daughter-in-law and two littlies) arrived home to find the Niagra Falls inside their rental. Well, it was me who discovered the horror when I dropped by to deliver groceries before driving to pick them up from the airport. And there’s nothing harder than telling a travel-weary family their home is uninhabitable at 2:00 am. Lucky for them, we had room at the inn!
Guess what? As I have now discovered and been informed burst pipes under your bathroom sink are more common then you think. TURN OFF YOUR MAINS BEFORE GOING AWAY PEOPLE!
Anyway, I digress because what does this have to do with libraries?
There’s nothing like a full house and no room to escape to start me looking out for quiet and somewhere to breathe! Don’t get me wrong I love my family very much. But libraries have been my saviour this past several months.
The State Library of Western Australia
I started with the ‘mother ship’ – The State Library of Western Australia – the font of all historic records and local history exhibits, the Disrupted Festival hub and the place to go for some peace and quiet.
The State Library is capacious and she really is the true ‘mother ship’ of Western Australian libraries. Like a mother swan she encompasses all libraries beneath her Western Australian wings!
She lets you in and shelters you under her high ceilings while impressing you with her multitude of floors. And how about that glass elevator!
City of Fremantle Library
From one major library to the next – I found myself in Fremantle with some time to kill before a lunch meeting with some freelance writers so I did the writerly thing and went to hang at the library!
The Fremantle Library is a thing of beauty and I have attended workshops here in the past – the meeting rooms are comfortable and versatile. The great thing about this library is that it is open on a Sunday. The library has a ‘maker space’ for 3D printing and making stuff – seems to be a feature of most libraries now.
I love that this library is right in the busy hub of Fremantle. While I am there football is playing in the bar next door and waves of cheering can be heard when the glass doors open and close. Local history meets local flavour.
Guildford Library
Next up, is the tiny Guildford Library – which I discovered on my way home from a stand up paddle boarding venture. Not wishing to go straight home I decided to prolongue the peace for a further hour.
Small in stature but still managed to pack in a 3D Printing space and a buzzing children’s library. I have driven past this libary many times and this is the first time I have stopped. Well worth it! The story chair was pretty cool.
Town of Vincent Library
My local library – the Town of Vincent Library is an old haunt for me. When my kids were little we lived there – not in the current location but in the same building. Spacious and welcoming at the same time. Desks for sitting and nooks for tucking yourself into a corner. Women played Mahjong in the community room their tiles click clacking away.
As I continue my library crawl I find myself in country libraries while adventuring in the southwest and libraries near shopping centres I wouldn’t normally consider. There is even a sneaky visit to a library of high importance! Stay tuned for another library crawl installment – coming soon!
All in a Day Adventures 