I have a new obsession. Perhaps it’s not something people usually become obsessed with, but considering my previous obsessions have included soup, researching shoes, researching purses, glowsticks and spotting celebrities, it’s not so weird for me.

So here goes:

The New York Public Library has consumed my life.

It started a few weeks ago when a friend and I were talking about books. She told me she used the library, explained the system, and that you can reserve items online, select which library you want them sent to and pick them up once they’re ready. And not just books, but DVDs too. And not just educational-learn-Spanish-historical-boring DVDs. The library has popular ones like Across the Universe and Walk the Line and P.S. I Love You and even all the Bruce Willis Die Hard movies. And they’re all free and magically wait for you in a special room.

Um, why haven’t I been taking advantage of this?

I’d actually had a library card for nearly a year but hadn’t used it. Once I was no longer subletting and had an official lease, one of my top priorities was obtaining a library card. I’d heard the NYPL was notorious for requiring multiple forms to prove that you were a resident. As soon as I’d received official mail at my new apartment, I applied for a card (the only mail I received at my previous apartment was cards from my mom and aunts. Not exactly anything I’d see the library embracing). So with a bill in hand and a permanent address, I researched how to obtain a card. And all I ended up having to do was fill out an online form. No need for a passport or Social Security card or driver’s license to prove my identity. No need for a pay stub or health insurance statement or bill proving my residence in New York City. Just a mailbox.

My card (wallet-sized and key ring-attachable versions) arrived two weeks later. I immediately felt a sense of belonging and entitlement. Yes. I am a New Yorker. I may use the library. I am reader, watch me borrow. But I tacked it up on my bulletin board for safe keeping, more something that I looked at and admired than actually used. I left my book acquisitions to Amazon.com. The thought of going into an actual New York public library just seemed too daunting (this coming from the same person who avoided the main library in college until her fifth year because she never took a free tour freshman year and didn’t want to get lost or ask for help).

Enter my friend and her tutorial that has revolutionized my life. Once I got back home, I opened my Amazon wish list and looked them up on the library’s website. All the books I’d been hesitant to buy were perfect candidates for borrowing. No commitment or financial obligations. Why hadn’t I realized this earlier? I kept finding items and requesting them. An Inconvenient Truth? I felt out of the loop for not knowing what all the Al Gore jokes were about. Requested. A book by a new author whose writing I wasn’t sure I would like? Requested.

Before I knew it, I’d hit the library’s 15-item request limit. Even though I was in waiting lists for all of them (sometimes the 438th person in line), I wasn’t allowed to request any more. I was stunned. Then I noticed the list feature, basically like Amazon’s wish list. You don’t actually request an item, but you keep it saved in your account. An hour later, my list was 19 items strong.

I obsessively checked the status of my account, waiting for any item to go from Held to Ready to Be Picked Up. I kept refreshing the library’s site, which was incredibly annoying because I had to retype my lengthy ID and password each time.

The waiting killed me.

Then one morning I woke up to an e-mail that An Inconvenient Truth was waiting for me. At last. My time has come. I wrote down the library’s entrance even though the cross streets were just a few blocks from work. I went during lunch and became nervous entering. The security woman yelled at me because I hadn’t let her look through my purse before I headed toward the doors. Ah! I didn’t see any sign that said items had to be inspected. All the while I kept looking in front of and around me to figure out where things were. I wanted to look like I belonged there, like I was a seasoned library user. I ended up looking like a wide-eyed illiterate.

A lovely lady at the help desk directed me diagonally and through a room to where the items are held. I read the instructional sign on how to find my DVD and looked at all the card numbers scrupulously but couldn’t find it. Had I requested it be sent to the wrong library? Did someone else take it before I got here? What did I do wrong?

Finally, I asked an employee for help. I’d arrived so soon after I’d received my notification e-mail that although my DVD was in fact in the hold room, it hadn’t been put on the shelf yet and was in a special cart. Whew. I waited in line, checked out my DVD and returned to work, happy that libraries were in existence and that I actually used them.

Before I left work, I was still obsessively checking my library account. Another item was available for me even though I hadn’t received an e-mail. Was it weird to visit the library twice in a day? I decided that while I did think it was odd, I didn’t care. Thinking of the bag check lady, I left An Inconvenient Truth in a desk drawer at work. I didn’t want to explain that I had just checked the DVD out that afternoon but was back again to pick something else up. Even if I got through the entrance lady OK, there was still another guy at the exit looking at items and check out receipts. So sacrificed An Inconvenient Truth in order to pick up Brokeback Mountain.

Now that I had two items checked out, I had free space to add more holds. I carefully weighed books versus DVDs and the wait time for each. You can’t check DVDs out as long, but they have hundreds of people in line. If I end up with three books checked out at once, there’s no way I’ll be able to read them all in a timely manner. Finally I settled on a DVD with a minimal wait and a book with a longer one.

The library had not alerted me that another item was ready, but my diligence checking my account status told me my first book was waiting. It was my third visit in 24 hours and this time I had the system down. The book was waiting on the shelf, but even if it hadn’t been, I knew where the special cart was.

After I retrieved Dreamers of the Day, I decided to explore the library. I vaguely remembered a book on my list that it was in the art section on the third floor. I looked at the call numbers, something I really haven’t thought about since elementary school, and tried to remember what some of my books were. Soon enough I found typography and design…and then I saw a book that was on my list. I didn’t even have to wait for a spot on my hold list to open up. I could just take it. Right now. So I did. My happiness was off the charts. I found a book! Without any help! On my way to the elevator, I found art-related pamphlets, including a call number cheat sheet, further ensuring that I wouldn’t need to ask for help in the future.

I returned to the office to share my wonderful lunch break experience (and pamphlets) with my co-workers. Of course they made fun of me, but I didn’t care. My library-high was still soaring.

Unlike my previous obsessions, the library has turned out to provide me with a lot more than researching skills or colorful accessories. I’ve had to overcome fears of new and unknown situations (which I’m sure the library still has plenty in store for me); I’m able to further explore my interests without having to consider money or space in my bookshelf; and I’m managing my time better because I have deadlines. Instead of starting a book and letting it rest on my shelf for months before debating whether I should force myself to finish it or bury it in the closet, I now have set parameters. If I don’t like it, I can just return it. And as someone who is 438^th in line for something, I want to be prompt and considerate with my materials so that other people who also want to enjoy them aren’t waiting excessively.

With two books checked out and eight more items waiting for me upon my return from Memorial Day weekend, I’ve got my hands full. Hopefully once the allure of the library system wears off a bit, I’ll become better at restraining myself from reserving so many things at once. But I won’t rule out that I’ll screw something up, bring a checked out book with me to pick up another or break some sort of record for the number of visits in a week.

3 Responses to “Checked Out”

1. Gary Says:
   June 5th, 2008 at 8:43 am

   Hi Jacky. I am so glad you have tackled the Library. It is a good obsession to have, all things considered. It can be a little overwhelming, so just let us know if you ever have trouble finding what you need. Now that you have your card, you can explore our vast collections of online movies, cd’s, and books as well….uncharted waters! And PS, I hope the allure never wears off. Have fun - Gary

2. Bridget Says:
   June 12th, 2008 at 9:59 am

   I love libraries! They always smell so good, kind of musty and old… And you find books in libraries that you’d never find in bookstores. Strange books, quirky books, books that might never otherwise have crossed your path.
   The New York library, though, is set to be overwhelmed with new devotees since the Sex and the City movie made it hip to borrow library books again!

3. This Ordinary Day » Take it easy Says:
   May 19th, 2009 at 12:02 am

   [...] I felt a little more coherent. I treated myself to new books (which is a big deal, as I am an avid New York Public Library user and my bookshelf is already overflowing). The rest of the day, I stayed in bed, devouring my [...]

Leave a Reply