These six chairs, they don’t look like much. They are stained and ragged from twenty years of solid use in a busy Children’s Department. As we worked through our remodeling project, we considered the future of every piece of furniture in the building. Some things no longer served their purpose and went to new homes. Other items were broken or worn and needed repair or replacing. These chairs were right on that edge. Because although they have lasted well, they are very worn and just don’t clean up like they used to. Plus, they take up a lot of prime real estate in the department. Maybe they should have gone to the dumpster, but . . . we were too attached.
On any given day, you might find a mother bouncing a baby in these chairs, a grandparent reading to a grandbaby, or a pre-teen deeply engrossed in a book. Frequently I walk by and find these chairs have become Mom Central. It is a kind of second living room for a group of moms we know well. One might be knitting. One might be on a laptop or ipad. There are usually books, notebooks, lesson planners, and possibly snacks scattered on the table. Some outgrown kids’ clothes might change hands, or a recipe. There is laughter, deep discussion, support, and comradery. Children wander in and out amongst their knees, and teens sometimes run in from the teen room to check with a mom. They have a lot in common, as all moms do, but they are certainly not cookie cutter versions of each other. Each brings their own style and history to the group and it is evident that they enjoy their differences as much as they enjoy their commonalities. Wouldn’t it be amazing if our entire country could learn to do this.
So the purple chairs will stay. We will recover them and spruce up the “living room” a bit, but they’ll stay. Not because they are stylish or comfortable, but because of what they represent about the power of libraries and the power of connection. These sparks of connection happen all over the library, of course, you just have to know where to look.
When you visit you might see more “purple chair areas” scattered through the library. If you need space to connect or to study, we hope you’ll find a place that is just right for you at the Greenwood Public Library.
I read this 2 years ago and I read it again today. I was one of the purple chair mom’s and it meant more to me than you will ever know. Being such an intricate part of the library family was very important to our family and it created memories that we will carry with us for a lifetime.