Letters to the Editor - Brookdale Library not family friendly - Brookdale Library not family friendly

          I am the busy mom of a toddler (is there any other kind?) I needed a book from the library. Even though the book was listed as shelved at the Brookdale Library, to save time I requested it online. I received an email from the library letting me know it was ready to be picked up. A couple of days later I brought my son to the library to pick up the book. I went to the reserved book area, found the spot where I had picked up books before, and, it was not there. By this time my son is squirming and ready to run around the library. I asked the librarian at the check out desk for help. He said the book had been returned to the shelf because I did not come to pick it up fast enough. After some prodding on my part, he gave me a number to find the book on the shelf where it had been returned. Surprise, it was not there either. My son was now crying because he wanted to run around. I carried him to the information desk, and again asked for help. The librarian said he would find the book for me so I could take care of my son. I brought my son to the children's area.  

    There they have a big, beautiful dragon, just the perfect size for toddlers to climb on. Unfortunately, though there is no sign posted, we were told that children are not allowed to climb on the dragon. What is the point of having a dragon in the children's area, if you can't climb on it? Just to tempt the children and not let them have fun? Unlike other libraries, there are no toys for toddlers in the children's area at the Brookdale Library. In the stardome room where they have children's activities on certain mornings, they sometimes have open play time, and there are toys to play with. But at noon, the toys and the room are locked up. The stardome room just sits there vacant, no one allowed to enter and play. After a few minutes I checked back at the information desk. I was informed by a supervisor that they could not find my book. Apparently in the vast distance between the reserved book shelves and the non-fiction shelves (about 20 feet) the book was lost. I suggested to the supervisor that certainly someone in the library could track down the book. He said "no" I would need to request it again, and wait a few days for it to be found. So much for saving time. This is not the first time the library has lost a book in their own system, and I don't think I will be wasting my time there again any time soon.

Sheryl Senkiw,

Lind Bohanon