Books are Cool

As a kid I spent most of my summers in the small town of Smackover, Arkansas (hence the user name in my URL, I knew no one else would have it). Despite it's somewhat exiting name, there was not a whole lot to do in Smackover. I spent most of my time watching TV (I know, shocking), swimming in the pool, riding in a golf cart, and playing in the library. My Grandmother was the local high school librarian and while she worked, I would find ways to entertain myself. I would type on the typewriter, look up random things in the card catalog, and read the illicit Sweet Valley High books. I just totally dated myself there didn't I?

Anyway, as a result of all those days running around with the whole place to myself, I have a love of books and the library that has been with me even to this day. Unfortunately many libraries today are facing massive budget cutbacks which are forcing them to eliminate staff and resources as well as stopping the ordering of new books. To counteract this, many libraries have set up wishlists on Amazon.com where people can donate books online. Over here, Pamie lists different places to donate to the San Diego library system, an area that was devastated by fires last year. I donated to Oakland last year and felt good about myself for weeks. And let's face it, I need all the good karma points I can get.

Now I know many of us are poor, and if you can't donate that's cool. But if you could just post a link to the information on your site or mention it to a friend, then maybe someone who otherwise wouldn't have known about it, will donate something. And that's worth good karma points, too!

So come on people, no child should be denied the right to visit a Chocolate factory or play The Westing Game.