Pulling a Reverse Heist at the Library

Or How I Turned My Father Into a Library Sneak

I’ve loved libraries my whole life. Some of my best book memories come from libraries. But when I was young, I had issues returning library books on time.

The Book Return at the Towson Library — Something I Often Forgot to Use. (Source: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.)

I can’t tell you why I ended up with so many late fines. Maybe it was forgetfulness. Or distraction. Or sometimes subconsciously not wanting certain books to leave my little hands.

The Intrigue Begins

One day, when I was perhaps 10 years old, Middle Brother was tasked with driving me to the library. I’m sure there were other things he wanted to do with his time — like visit his girlfriend. But like a good son, he obeyed and drove me to the Towson Library in its big fancy new building. (The style of the building has been referred to as the brutalist style. Dad said it looked like a granary.)

When we started using this very modern library, we still used card catalogs in wooden cabinets. (You can now find them sold as collectibles on Etsy!) Yet the library itself was a combination of future and fantasy and history that has kept up with the times.