It really feels as though something's wrong here. It was a shock, initially, to learn that Lansdale is a completely independent library, meaning that patrons do not have access to the rest of the Montgomery County (or any other) system. Coming from Delaware County, which is fantastic by comparison, the severely reduced access was hard to swallow, and Lansdale does not make up for this by having an especially large or strong collection. (When I searched for a modern children's classic, they had two copies of the movie version but not the actual book.)
Despite all this, I was hoping that the Lansdale Public LIbrary would be a pleasant place for families to spend time. It isn't. The librarians aren't like any I have known in the other places I have lived. I have always known librarians to be friendly, helpful, upbeat people who love their jobs. They have tended to go above and beyond, offering to help whenever they had the slightest inkling it was needed. I am thinking of the wonderful librarians in Radnor, Havertown, and Media, especially.
The Lansdale librarians are different. I don't know what I'm walking in on, as a new patron, but it feels as though they've just found out they are losing their jobs...or have just months to live. I have no idea what is happening. They are sullen, cranky, and eager to be as unhelpful as possible. If something really is wrong (with more than one of them -- this is not just one person I am talking about), then I am truly, awfully sorry. Still, it's disappointing that a town that seemingly has some good qualities would be stuck with such a starkly awful library. read more