East Meadow
You know the Louvre pyramid? That’s kind of what this library reminded me of while I was driving past it. Tons of windows make the outside of this library look quite artsy. I liked it. There was a ton of parking, which was lovely, and I noticed a post box right by the door. I love when libraries have post boxes by the door! There are a few that I saw during my travels, but this one is literally right by the door.
Inside is just as huge as the outside suggests it is, but what you’d never guess from the parking lot is just how many books are stuffed into this building. I felt a bit overwhelmed when the librarian brought me to the shelves after I asked her for a book and I noticed that every shelf was jam-packed with books. For someone who loves to hold literature, it took everything in my power not to cuddle with the shelves.
There are tons of computers and reading nooks and the windows keep this library as bright as you can imagine. After being helped by a very pleasant librarian, I picked my book from the shelf and wandered around until I found graphic novels. I picked an interesting book from here as well, and then made my way back to the circulation desk after looping around the library twice. I found myself wishing I had more time to just browse everything they had here. There was a nice hum of people working and whispering and browsing and walking–I liked it.
The clerk was very kind and joked with me about the strange weather we’d been having all week. I left feeling happy and eager to come back for a second visit–especially since I felt like I hadn’t spent enough time there to really see everything I wanted to.
Bethpage
This library is very long–from the outside, it reminded me of a pool because of really nice blue. There is a ton of parking across the street, which was great, though to get to the library you have to cross at a crosswalk. I didn’t have much trouble wandering across. I walked in and headed to the librarian at the reference desk, and asked for my typical book. She rejected most of my attempts at small talk, and without a word to me, led me to the shelves to show me where my book was located. While we were at the shelves, she saw a few books nearby that were also on my topic, and pointed them out to me as well. I thanked her for the help and before leaving, she showed me even more books that, while not exactly on my topic, might also be helpful. I really appreciated that extra help.
And then, because I haven’t embarrassed myself at a library in a week, I prepared myself to sound like an idiot. Before I returned to the librarian, I stopped at the graphic novels–which Bethpage has a TON of. Any fans of the comic won’t be disappointed here, especially if you like DC heroes. There were shelves and shelves of superheroes. I grabbed two that looked really good and then went to make a fool of myself.
On the way in, I had noticed that there were tons of computers by the reference desk. They had different signs by them, and I wasn’t exactly sure how they worked. I decided to ask the librarian about the rules regarding computer usage. Only, I asked about the rules for the computers in Farmingdale, which was the library I planned on visiting after Bethpage. This is almost too embarrassing to admit, but hey–I’m human (hold the cylon jokes) too, right?
The reason for my sudden moron moment was that Pottermore had just opened and I was too busy having a nerdattack to use any brain cells.
Anyway, so I blurt out the wrong library, and the librarian gives me this look like I had just asked her if I could borrow a tomato. Confused by her confusion, I prepared myself to swallow my pride and admit the reason I wanted to use a computer, but before I could, she pointed to the computers and explained how they worked. It wasn’t until I logged into a computer that I realized why she didn’t understand what I was asking. I was so embarrassed by how stupid I had been that I called a friend the moment I got to my car and told her how I’ve yet to go a week without pulling a painfully silly stunt at a library. She just laughed at me and reassured me that the librarian was probably on a break now, saying, “So you’ll never guess what this very confused dingbat said to me today…”
Before that, though, I tried to make friendly conversation with the circulation clerk, but I was already aware of my massive oops, so I’m sure I nervously laughed a lot and made lame jokes about the weather. The clerk didn’t call me out on it though. Instead, she politely smiled and wished me a good day, which was really nice of her.
All in all, besides the moment of dumb I had, Bethpage was a really nice library. It was silent (as in, I felt like I should breathe quieter) when I was there, and they had several tables by the non-fiction for studying, which would please anyone who has to get some work done.
Results
This match is quite close–many of them are. Both libraries had huge lots, though East Meadow’s was more convenient. They’re both beautiful libraries, inside and out. East Meadow seemed to have more materials, but Bethpage definitely had the better work environment and more graphic novels. I can’t say Bethpage doesn’t have professional staff, that’s for sure. The librarian never once made me feel like an idiot for my slip. East Meadow had a lot to offer, and with it came this busy vibe of getting things done. Bethpage on the other hand was quiet and relaxed. They were both great working environments. This is really a hard decision. That being said, I think the only thing I can do is:
East Meadow wins the round, and Bethpage gets an honorable appearance in round two (there’s an odd number of libraries, so it works out well). The heart is for not making me feel silly during my visit.
