La Grande Bibliothèque: Not Only For Geeks
I've met quite a few people in Montreal, and all of them surprised me with the same statement: "I've never been to La Grande Bibliothèque".
Worse, that would happen immediately after I'd answer the most common question, which is: "What have you liked the most in Montreal so far?"
La Grande Bibliothèque is definitely one of the top things on my list
and when I mention it many people seem surprised.
I'll explain. Libraries are places where people go to study and do research - at least, that's the general perception. A book shop, on the other hand, is where you go to browse books and read them for free for hours at a time with a cup of coffee by your side .... but wait, can't you do the same at the library? Yes, except for the coffee part (although they recently opened "Le Café des Lettres" right there in the library). Not only that, instead of feeling awkward at Chapters or Indigo for overstaying your welcome, mentally bookmarking a book that you don't want (or can't afford) to buy or browsing magazines at Multimags while standing, at La Grande Bibliothèque you can find almost anything your nerdy heart desires and accessorize yourself with comfortable chairs, good lighting, extensive collections of every type of document available to the educated man (or woman.. or child..).
The library has a wonderful section of new arrivals: literature, travel, geography, biographies, cooking, health, current events, best-sellers, etc. It also has newspapers, magazines, DVD's, CD's - from all over the world.
The "regular" archives (the rest of the building) are both extensive and impressive. You think libraries don't stock contemporary writers? Think again! From classic "Generation X" by Coupland to "The Long Way Down" by Hornby, to the novels of Haruki Murakami, literary award-winners, sappy romance novels, weird science fiction, horror - it's all there. And that's just fiction.
You want to learn how to cook, sew, make beads, paint your house, assemble a computer, taste wines, knit? How about learning a language without paying those ultra-expensive language schools? You can do that too! Seriously.
But it's really not about the books or the multimedia or even generally being one of the most impressive libraries I've ever set foot in. It's about people.
One other thing I've come to love about Montreal (in fact, it's on my "top" list as well) is the city's diversity and at the Library, there is no lack of diversity: of race, of interests, of age, or income, of thought.... It's where barriers vanish: a sans-abri naps in a chair sitting back-to-back to a privileged student. A retired man reads about yachts and sailboats while a Japanese girl in the seat across the aisle reads "Manga". A woman piles up CD's next to her computer and proceeds to do air drumming, a mom carries twenty books for kids, Latinos browse the Spanish aisle, taking out books by Laura Esquivel or García Márquez, Arab-speaking folks walk around with books in Arabic, kids watch their movies at comfortable media stations - all in that semi-inviting, semi-overwhelming silence (occasionally broken by a sneeze, a cough, a laugh...)
On more than one of the recent rainy days, the Library was a true savior. Leafing through photography books, reading mindless girl magazines and anthologies, I quietly type away on my computer keyboard and (un)productively surf the web - without the need for much caffeine.
It's a good place to work, to relax, to stay warm and to observe. As I type, there is an architect to my right, a psychologist to my left, a programmer and a literature student not too far away... you get the picture. It's a melting pot out here! Will it surprise you, then, if I tell you that I've learned how to cook in a wok?
