*Dramatic movie voice* In a rapid technologically growing world, one girl will discover the power of knowledge…by reading.

When I was in middle school, I had the time and mental capacity to read a new novel approximately every two days. I remember spending hours after school at the library reading The Princess Diariesseries by Meg Cabot while waiting for my mother to leave work to pick me up. Now? My energy is reserved for textbook reading and lecture watching during the fall and spring semesters of college while summer and winter intersessions are for regenerating my mental capacity for the following semesters. Sigh.

Whilst reminiscing about the “good ol’ days,” I tried to think about the last time I read a novel that wasn’t on the nook app or a required textbook for a class I absolutely despised. I texted my best friend with my new found inspiration to buy new books only to come to the crashing realization that my broke college girl self cannot afford to buy new novels and with the upcoming semester, someone needs to start saving for textbooks (I mean honestly, Romeo and Juliet is NO tragedy compared to the hundreds of dollars I pay per semester for books). So where do you go when you want to read new novels without spending money? Your public library! Sure, I could stressfully begin endless engine searches for PDF versions, but where is the fun in that? Not to mention, checking out a book set a time limit on how long I have to read these books which added a discipline aspect to get back into my beloved hobby of reading rather than letting a new book from my favorite bookstore collect dust for months to come.

I haven’t had a library card since 2006 so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Had the rules changed? Was I still allowed to check out as many books as I could possibly carry? Was I allowed in the young adult section anymore or would people show their concern for a lost 21-year-old girl? Did I have late charges from 2006 that I’d be forced to pay off? I was in disbelief over my whirlwind of emotions over a library card. With a new library card comes great responsibility and I was ready to accept it.

So what happened? In brief, I showed my ID, took a mug shot, got a brand-spanking new library card, and ran my butt upstairs to the young adult section, cautiously avoiding judgment. Four books later (and several times asked if I needed help), I found the adult section of the library and picked up five more novels I ambitiously alleged I’d read before the end of summer. My eyes were certainly bigger than…uh…the strength of my arms.

My trip to the library overall was a success (even though I didn’t catch the rumored Bulbasaur that was lurking nearby). Out of the nine novels so far, I’ve finished one and opened another. While my mental reading capacity is certainly not up to par, it’s nice to give my eyes a break from a screen by powering down and reading before bedtime. There’s also a discipline to building my capacity and motive to read again which is beginning to undo the laziness “feel” that summer brings. The coolest part about my trip back to the library? My library card has gone MOBILE. I can sign into an app called 3M Cloud Library using my library card and public library system to rent e-books which means NO MORE LATE FEES! The convenience factor and the modern style of reading is definitely something to look into if you’re somewhat of an avid reader such as myself, but there is nothing as pure as going to the library and checking out a book your childhood self would appreciate.