The Black Hole

Last night on my way to my dance class, I thought I would quickly run into the library, grab a book, and make it to class on time. I did my research ahead of time and made sure the book I wanted was available. When I got to the section where the book should be, I quickly scanned the titles looking for the book. It wasn’t there. So I scanned the books near and around the section in case someone had trouble with the alphabet. No luck. Because I was short on time and I absolutely needed a book and couldn’t remember the other books on my “to read” list, I went to the circulation desk. I explained the problem and asked if the book could be anywhere else (namely sitting in the drop box or something). I suppose the library worker gets this all the time and made the assumption that I was an idiot and didn’t know the alphabet. She proceeded to take me over to the section that I had already checked more than once, to check for herself. Then she admitted that it could still be on a shelving cart. In which she proceeded to check all 15 carts. I appreciated the effort but I was short on time. Still no luck. The book has been lost in the library black hole. So I settled for the CD version because I still couldn’t remember what other books I wanted to read. As I drove away from the library, I wondered how many books are lost in that aforementioned black hole. Can you imagine how many books could be lost by just placing them one or two bookshelves away from its predestined location? Some books may never be found again, while others may be happened upon by some unexpecting library patron.

In summary, I want that book. I want it now and I can’t believe someone lost it.