Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group I Hate My Career

I am eternally grateful to my parents for raising me as an avid reader, and to a wonderful elementary school librarian who turned me into a writer.

I sincerely hope the people of your town wake up and see the immense value of a library. Out where I live the establishment of a library meant a town was soon to be fully civilized. I fear the decline of libraries indicates we are quickly descending back into illiteracy, ignorance and barbarism.

Nonetheless, I still believe that real, live paper books will never be obsolete. I hope they aren't; I write for a living and even have one of my books incorporated into my KickAS signature. (That's a subtle hint to the KickAS posse--I sure could use the sales. I'll know if you buy; I get a daily report telling me who bought what. Libraries get an insane discount from Amazon, although I only make about $1.60 per copy for institutional sales. Whatever-- it's $1.60 more than I have now. Please, y'all?)

I'm fortunate because my local library integrated technology almost immediately after it hit the shelves, to their great benefit. Of course, when you live in a town built by IBM, it helps.

I knew I was hooked on reading the day my Dad went over to visit an old friend from his youth and dragged me along. The friend was Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West. She was anything but. She gave me a package and made me promise not to open it until I got home. It was four signed first editions of Mark Twain's best.

I can't say those volumes are flawlessly perfect, and I don't really care. My kids wore them out, reading them over and over.

As long as it integrates technology, I believe the paper library has many more years to go and will never vanish completely.

I wish I could help in your situation.