I am sitting in our incredible five-star-award-winning ELA library writing. Looking around, there are 10,000’s of books, 100’s of magazines, DVD’s Blu rays, CD’s, computers, puzzles. No matter what your interests are from knights to nights, stars to traveling afar, football to decorating walls, baking to mentally escaping, you will find something to help you achieve your goals.

When I am writing, or taking photographs, I often wonder if all the words have been written before, a frame shot just so. Looking at the myriad of items I can borrow from my library, I realize that while all the words may have been used– It has not been in the same order, with the same feeling and goals, as my writing. Or yours.

I write often for work. When I am struggling, sometimes with deadlines I know I have to keep typing until it is complete, other times I can pause (maybe walk the dogs) and this brief respite frees up those creative thoughts buried in my brain.

I keep an online folder of marketing emails I have received that look effective and a folder of direct mail pieces with response-driven copy I like. I skim through magazines—on topics I might only be marginally interested in– to see what other publications are doing to entice new readers and promote brand extensions. I read a variety of type of books, see films old and new.

So that library time–or book store time for some of you–is not time wasted.   Or procrastination. Not always, anyways. It is “research”, filling that wellspring of imagination of ideas for some future marketing collateral, a report, a novel, a poem, a blog post.

The ELA librarian told me that they have 1,000,000+ annual checkouts.  So others are using the library for their release as well.

The journey continues.

C