The Questioning Librarian

Last week I had the pleasure of going out to the Festival of the Arts in State College with a few friends whom I hadn't seen in some time. The afternoon, while hot, was tolerable and pleasant, both because of the company of friends as well as the fine craftsmanship on display. Humanity is endlessly creative, but not always in a good way. We're very creative in crafting intricate instruments of torture, of finding ways to cheat others out of money or property through byzantine financial schemes, and other such instances where human creativity is used to harm rather than to heal. But at the same time our creativity can make things of great talent and beauty, and it was this impulse to create that was on full display at the Festival. I have been to craft shows before, from the Folk Festival in Kittanning to Crafter's Day at the end of Clarion's Autumn Leaf Festival, but nothing like this. The size and scope alone dwarfed these others, with artists not just from the St...

It occasionally surprises me that interest in dinosaurs is considered something for children. This isn't true of everyone, to be fair, but it is all too common that when I express my absolute fascination with dinosaurs I get looks of puzzlement, even mild sympathy from other adults. It is as though I'm Peter Pan and refuse to grow up. Our culture certainly reflects this; the overwhelming majority of books on dinosaurs are aimed at children; the older one gets, the harder it is for the non-specialist to find a book on them that isn't filled with rhymes and cartoon depictions of these venerable beasts. They may consider me with surprise, but I consider them with sympathy as well as my own bewilderment. To think that dinosaurs are for children only! As though dinosaurs, like Legos and Lincoln Logs, are to be put away as we grow in exchange for more "adult" interests! Certainly many children find themselves fascinated with dinosaurs, as I was, knowing the names o...