I’m Just Browsing. Thank You!

In the past several months, I had the opportunity to browse through our entire nonfiction collection at the Northgate Branch. I was helping our librarians by checking the condition of  each book. That means I had to inspect every single one to make sure they’re in good condition to circulate. Sound pretty boring? Not at all! I discovered many great books that I wouldn’t have thought that I’d be interested in or known that they even exist. My reading list now includes a variety of topics.

With the secrets I learned from 1000 Best eBay Success Secrets by Greg Holden, I’m now feeling more confident in buying and selling my items online. I’ve also discovered a lot of great places to camp with my family in Pacific Northwest Camping by Tom Strenstra. I’ve fallen in love with my own city all over again while visiting places that were suggested in Outside Magazine’s Urban Adventure, Seattle by Maria Dolan and I’m not so worried about going places on my own anymore because I’ve picked up a few tips from Personal Defense for Women by Gilla Hayes.

Next time you’re at the library and you’re not sure what to get, try to randomly browse the non-fiction collection. Librarians are always more than happy to point you in the right direction. You can also pick up one of the Pocket Dewey Decimal System sheets, which tells you where everything is located. If a librarian asks you if you need help, it’s totally fine to say “I’m just browsing. Thank You!” Have fun and see where this experience will take you. The choices might be quite a pleasant surprise.

~Truc, Northgate Library

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4 responses to “I’m Just Browsing. Thank You!”

  1. Season

    I did the same thing with the South Park collection! I found a book on finances for people in their 20s and 30s, and about a million amazing cookbooks. I never would have found them if I hadn’t browsed the shelves. Great post!

    Reply
  2. Paige

    Thanks for this great reminder that there are so many gems on the library shelves, and many can best be found through serendipitious browsing! I like to get myself to a general area of interest (e.g., History in the 900s) and then just see what catches my eye.

    Reply
  3. Sue Minahan

    Your post reminds of the fun I had as a young person in the library — centering into that quiet space and browsing through the shelves in search of the next adventure of thought — whether in fiction with so many ideas, or biographical with so much factual knowledge about our world — or for some totally unknown. Like nature, the library gives one that chance, the opportunity, to become friends with themselves in conjunction with the world. You’ve empowered me to remember to do it again! Thanks!!

    Reply
  4. Truc

    Thanks for all your comments.

    Sue- I love how you’ve put this “Like nature, the library gives one that chance, the opportunity, to become friends with themselves in conjunction with the world” I hope you’ll continue to enjoy many gems at the library (As Paige, has said)

    Reply

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