Good evening, everyone.
Do you have a library card? I have two library cards. This one is for Seoul’s and this is for Calgary’s. Tonight, I want to tell you about these both public libraries.
First of all, I have a confession. I am a kind of lazy person. I cannot study at home because there are so interesting things like watching television or napping on the couch. So I usually go to the public library to study since when I was a student.
As you see, my English skill is so terrible that I used to go to the library to study English for about three months in Korea before I came to Canada. In other words, the last thing I did in Korea was commuting to the library to study English. And one of the first things I did as soon as I arrived in Canada, was finding out about the public library in this city to make my own library card.
I discovered that there are 18 branches of the public library in Calgary and you can use all of them, if you make a library card at any branch. Also I knew that the nearest library from my home was the Nose Hill library, so I went there to make the card.
It is very small library. Usually, public libraries in Korea are very big to support its condensed population. They include a parking lot, a cafeteria, a resting room and even small movie theater. But Nose Hill library is consisted of just a one story single building. I realized that Canada is a big country by its size of landmass but also is a small country by its population density.
I asked for making my library card to a certain librarian. And she demanded me to show one photo ID and utility bill to confirm actually I live in Calgary. I showed her my passport but I didn’t have any utility bill because I was so new in this country. Happily, at that time, I had a rent contract, which was written in my name and address, so I showed it and I could make her believe that I was a new Calgarian. And then she told me to pay $12 as the annual registration fee.
It is weird for me to pay money every year to hold a library card. Because it is free in Korea even though Korea is not richer country than Canada.
After I issued the card, I looked around the inside of the library and I found the biggest difference between Korea’s library and Calgary’s. It was the books. In Korean library, the every book is written by Korean but here everything is written by English only. I was frustrated because I could be relaxed and refresh by reading books in Korea, but reading English books is just a hard work and mostly impossible to understand for me.
Anyway, these days I go to the library to study English like I was in Korea. And I can see many differences between Korea and Canada almost every day.
For example, the public library is treated seriously in Korea. Many scholars and students are using the library for their study. Literally, they come to the library to study.
The other hands, most Canadians seem to come to the library to rest and relax. Whenever I go to the library, I could always see variety kind of people from babies to seniors. Also there are wide range of facilities and books for teens and children such as small desks, small chairs and even small computers. Therefore, many parents come to the library with their children. The library is not only for adults but also for children as their playground. So it is common to hear noise from children like crying, laughing or shouting at the library.
The atmosphere of the Canadian library is relaxed like its slow and informal society. In contrast, the Korean library’s ambience is serious like its life style, which is fast and hectic.
When I was in the library in Korea, I was forced to study hard. But I am in the library here, I can take it easy rather than study hard. In Canada, I need more serious place to study as a lazy man.
To sum up, you need one photo ID, one document that shows you actually live in Calgary like utility bill and $12 each year to keep the library card.
This library card has many functions.
You can borrow the library materials like books and DVDs up to 99 items at once. You can borrow books for 3 weeks and you can keep DVDs or music CDs for a week. Also you can use computers and wi-fi connections by using this card at the library.
So I strongly recommend you to get your own library card.
