Let Me Show You Around

LeL

This past weekend I had the distinct privilege of working the very first It Feels Like Fall Saturday of the 2026 season. There was enough chill in the morning air that it warranted a sweater. The sky was gray and gloomy, threatening the occasional rain shower. As I unlocked the doors and started on the opening procedures, I made myself a cup of coffee and clicked on the lamps with nothing but the sound of the wind in the leaves as my background music.

It was, in effect, the type of day that makes book lovers want to become librarians.

And obviously, I wanted to share this infinite wealth with others. So, I pulled out my phone and shot off a quick text to my husband, “It’s the perfect library day, if you wanted to bring the kids in!”

A couple of hours later, two red-headed blurs of energy ran behind the desk with a quick “hi Mom!” before rushing off to read books and make games out of exploring the secret crevices of our creaky old library.

With me working behind the desk and the kids well-versed enough with the library and its rules to not need constant oversight, my husband was left to his own devices. And much to his chagrin, I’m going to let you in on his big secret…

My husband is not a big Library Guy.

To be more specific, he’s never been a big reader, he’s never spent much time in Wickson (despite growing up here) and so slowly, over time, Wickson became a place he didn’t feel truly “at home” stepping inside, mostly because he was unfamiliar and a little overwhelmed with it.

Well, thank goodness for me, as I’m sure he would tell you.

As the person who knows him best, I pointed him in the direction of a book on herbs that was perched prettily on our New Book Display. From there, I encouraged him to make himself a cup of coffee (“you have a public Keurig here?!”) and take a seat in one of the comfy, oversized chairs near the windows (“this is NICE!”) In the end, guess what made its way home with us that afternoon? The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing Herbs by Holly Farrell.

But all of this got me thinking- if my own husband felt a little nervous and unsure walking into the library, knowing full well that his perfect, loving, faultless wife was inside, then what about the people who don’t have any inside connection?!

So, for anyone who has ever been too nervous to walk in the doors alone, allow me to show you around!

When you first enter our front doors, located on the north side of the building, you’ll find yourselves in a foyer. To your left, you’ll see a set of double doors which lead into our Community Room (available to reserve for certain non-profit meetings and events.) If you’re not looking for the Community Room, you’ll continue straight through a second set of doors, which opens into the heart of the library!

Take a very hard right immediately upon entering, and you’ll see a tunnel. If you have children, DO go through this tunnel. What awaits on the other side is our beloved Children’s Wing. If you DON’T have children, I would recommend staying the course and continuing straight. You’ll reach our circulation desk, where our staff will happily help you find anything your heart desires- within reason.

Not interested in asking for help? No problem, I get it. I’m also a first-born daughter.

Directly across from the circulation desk you’ll find our New Book Display, which features brand-new fiction (fake) and non-fiction (real) titles from the past few months. Behind the New Book Display, you’ll find our public computers, as well as our selections of DVDs, games, and puzzles.

Let’s say you’re standing in front of our selection of games, but you’re thinking to yourself, “Man, my teenager could really stand to get their nose out of their phone and into a book- I wonder if there’s a section dedicated to teen books?” Turn 90 degrees to your right (now you’re facing south) and you’ll run right into our Teen Room! Directly next to the Teen Room is the Tween Room, and next to that you’ll find our Large Print Adult Fiction, followed by our regular print Adult Fiction section! (Helpful Tip: All fiction books are organized alphabetically by the last name of the author.)

Would you rather read about something real? Well head upstairs to take in our massive selection of non-fiction books, organized by the Dewey Decimal system. I’m not a numbers girl, so please trust me when I say that it’s not as overwhelming as it might seem at first glance!

And with that, I think we’ve concluded our crash course in library layout. Now that you have a sense of the logistics of maneuvering the library, I’d encourage you to stop in so you can experience the magic of it! Feel free to wait for a cozy, rainy Saturday if you must.