The Liminal Librarian

… Oak Brook man hates libraries, children, puppies. Here’s more about him in the Daily Herald.

Telling her mother that she wanted to come to the aid of a library under attack, 11-year-old Sydney Sabbagha stood at the podium before the Oak Brook village board.

“I used to go to the library knowing there were people there to help me find a book. Now there is no one to help me,” Sydney said solemnly. “It will never be the same without the people you fired.”

Sydney nestled back into her seat, but that didn’t stop 69-year-old criminal attorney Constantine “Connie” Xinos from boldly putting her in her place.

“Those who come up here with tears in their eyes talking about the library, put your money where your mouth is,” Xinos shot back. He told Sydney and others who spoke against the layoffs of the three full-time staffers (including the head librarian and children’s librarian) and two part-timers to stop “whining” and raise the money themselves.

“I don’t care that you guys miss the librarian, and she was nice, and she helped you find books,” Xinos told them.

“Don’t cry crocodile tears about people who are making $100,000 a year wiping tables and putting the books back on the shelves,” Xinos smirked, apparently referencing the fired head librarian, who has advanced degrees and made $98,676 a year. He said Oak Brook had to “stop indulging people in their hobbies” and “their little, personal, private wants.”

Sydney was upset and “her little friend was in tears” after Xinos spoke at the meeting last week, says mom Hope Sabbagha.

I applied at this library once. Kind of glad I don’t work there now! Oy. What a classy guy — he’s like a Disney villain.

When I travel, even if it’s back home to visit family, I like to check out different libraries. Yesterday, I visited the Post Falls, ID library for the first time — and what a nifty little library it is. They have their used book sale set up in a separate room as a permanent store, and I bet they sell a lot more that way due to the openness and nice arrangement.

What I liked even more, though, was the way they fit local and Native design into the building.

This greets you in the lobby, and looks into the children’s department. When you walk into the Post Falls Library, you know you’re not in just Any Old Library, Any State.

They’ve also nicely blended in technology here and in a separate computer lab, preserving the open feel of the building while incorporating the new.

I’d love to have study groups or small meetings in this little conference room off the lobby! I’d also really like to sit here and read during the winter.

We complain about what libraries do wrong a lot, so I also like to comment on what they do right. At least on the surface of things, this library seems to do a lot of things right — I felt welcomed as soon as I walked in, and the design and architecture were intriguing without being intrusive. If you’re ever out this way, pop by!

Igeekthatgeekisnotaverb! I also like to.put.spaces.between.words. But maybe I’m old. I think I don’t get this site. Or don’t geek this site. But it’s so shiny and pretty…

I do GROK the library. Ooh! the domain’s available: grokthelibrary.org. Dear Bill and Melinda Gates: Please give me millions of dollars to develop a marketing site there. Or hundreds of thousands. I’m flexible.