Vancouver Public Library

Vancouver Public Library (Central Branch) - A Place I Call Home Guestbook   Mar 16, 2015

Leaving the rumbles of the city behind and slipping past the gentle slide of its automated doors one is quickly greeted by the caress of soft, natural light and the murmured shuffles of feet against old carpet. The intoxicating scent of well read pages hangs the air above the low whispers of patrons digging for knowledge. Like a gem of tranquility buried within the earth, the Central Branch Vancouver Public Library sits in the boisterous heart of Downtown Vancouver.
As a young child who had immigrated to a new country, I faced difficulty making new friends. Yet the library offered a six year old all the friendship necessary. I remember adoring the Children’s section with its endless rows of Robert Munsch’s silly books along with their vibrant illustrations. Often, I dragged a bookbag full of fictional novels to the checkout much to the chagrin of my little muscles. Now at seventeen and an ardent student, I sit in hushed corners chipping away at assignments on my laptop. Now and then when the strain in my neck has become noticeable, I’ll pry my eyes from my screen and shift my gaze towards the surrounding scenery. Cradled in the majestic architecture, I see a second home to people of all ethnicities, genders, classes, and ages. Young children plopped on beanbags with their noses and imaginations firmly inserted into books. Fellow students hauling armfuls of clunky research texts. Elders reading newspapers while silhouetted against the light of the towering windows. Those who cannot afford a computer or an internet connection hunched over the keyboards of public computers.
When I look up I see a place of acceptance, tolerance, and care. A place without of discrimination as we all joined in the harmonious pursuit of knowledge. It is places like the VPL that makes me proud to be Canadian.