Need to use a computer? Try Spokane Public Library

Some of my fondest childhood memories involve libraries. My father, who was a career U.S. Naval officer, used to take my brothers and me to the base library wherever we were stationed.

The library at Barber’s Point Naval Air Station on Oahu, Hawaii, was were my brother Randy and I were introduced to the novels of L. Frank Baum. We read not only his first Oz novel, 1900’s “The Wonderful World of Oz,” but several of the sequels.

I graduated from there to histories, particularly war histories, everything from Richard Tregaskis’ “Guadalcanal Diary” to Robert Leckie’s “Helmet for My Pillow,” the latter of which was one of the sources for the HBO series “The Pacific.”

It’s probably no coincidence that I ended up married for two decades to a librarian, and that my daughter virtually grew up amid stack and stacks of books, both borrowed and bought.

So I welcomed news that Spokane Public Library , as this past Monday, was – as the email I received noted – “open for computer access.”

“We are excited to see you once again!” the message read. “Reserve 30 minutes of computer time at your local library. Check emails, catch up on social media, print important documents, or use the library’s free online resources.”

There are some conditions, of course, including wearing a mask, enforced social distancing, and that limit of 30-minute session per day.

Locations in which to reserve a computer include the following sites: East Side, Hillyard, Indian Trail, Northtown Mall, STA Plaza and South Hill.

The library system remains closed for browsing, which is a bummer. But you can pick up desired materials through curbside pickup . As for other COVID-19 protocols, click here .

One day this pandemic is bound to end. And we’ll be able to return to some sense of normality – even if that sense isn’t exactly the same as in the past.

Until then, one step at a time. As L. Frank Baum wrote, “There is no place like home.”

Or a library.