Aldine Branch Library

So I wanted to go to the library and they open at 1 on Fridays. Darn! So I called since I saw they had workers in there and asked if they could let me in. Apparently they don’t take exceptions. Anyway I spoke to mark who told me to go to the one by Mac Arthur but confirmed that they open at the same time. So he looked again and found that Barbara bush library opens at 10. If this isn’t spoon feeding then I don’t know. But i was happy since my search didn’t bring those ones up. User error alert.

Since this is a place of learning, I pick a James Bond movie, retitled «Dr Know», to illustrate review points (prefixed with «—-») with movie quotes.
«O» | — -[][][][] — –| … Top shelf: kids books (ha-​ha)
/V\__,// |__[]______|
/​| |____[][]___| … James Bond novels shelf
/​\ |__[][]___[]_|
_​_​_​_​/​_​_​\ ______|_[]___[][]__|_ … Back-​problems books; bottom shelf
Honey Ryder: «Are you looking for shells, too?»
Bond: «No, I’m just looking»
—-I came here to see what magazines, books are available to read during lunch hour. The magazine selection is on one rack, and maybe 50 magazine brands are available (not many per topic). — -
Bond: «Both hands on the wheel Mr. Jones, I’m a very nervous passenger.»
—-There is a security guard on duty, watching for any suspicious activity. — -
[Bond arrives at Government House with Mr. Jones dead in the backseat]
Bond: «Sergeant, make sure he doesn’t get away.»
— – If you are gathering several books, and it’s hard to carry them all, then the nice librarians can reserve a place on the counter for them until you are ready to check them out. — -
Bond: «That’s a Smith & Wesson, and you’ve had your six.»
—-There is an empty basket on the counter which holds a potential 20 slips of paper each with the username and password to a PC (20 of them). There is one PC where you take the slip of paper and book your PC. I did not have to wait long for someone to finish and drop their paper back into the basket. I may have been the only person using the PC to look-​up a book to see if it was in the library here or another branch. The kids and several adults that I passed by were watching YouTube videos. — -
Moneypenny: «James! Where have you been? I’ve been searching all over London for you.»
Moneypenny: [To M] «007 is here, sir.»
—-There are a lot of helpful signs to help browsing patrons find books they may be interested in. The book number ranges are in large text, easy to see from a distance. Bond books are not numbered starting with 007, though. — -
Bond: «Now don’t worry Quarrel. Everything’s going to be fine.»
Quarrel: «You say so, Captain. Bottom part of where my belly used to be tells me different.»
Bond: «For me, Crab Key’s going to be a gentle relaxation.»
Felix Leiter: «From what? Dames?»
Bond: «No, from being a clay pigeon.»
— – The library is place for relaxation and quietness for reading. The people in this library were respectfully quiet. This is a nice neighborhood library, and the patrons do not look threatening, so you should feel safe. — -
Dr. No: «The Americans are fools. I offered my services, they refused. So did the East. Now they can both pay for their mistake»
Bond: «World domination, the same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they’re Napoleon. Or god.»
— – Asylums? That shows how old the movie is. Nowadays, power-​crazies are in high government positions, and the mentally-​challenged people are on the streets. Well, some may be in the library, judging by their dress, lack of cleanliness and the fact they were sleeping in the padded chairs (no book in their lap). — -
Dr. No: «One million dollars, Mr. Bond. You were wondering what it cost»
Bond: «As a matter of fact, I was.»
— – The Houston Library system is under financial strain, as more people turn to the Internet for information, and Kindle-​like devices for book reading. This library is packed. However, most people are on the 20 PC’s accessing the Internet, not looking at books. Uhhh. I guess libraries are now the place for free PCs for students and low income folk, not books for them.—
[As a hearse flies over a cliff and explodes]
Man: «What happened?»
Bond: «I think they were on their way to a funeral.»
— – Parking is ample and spacious. Wide parking places help minimize door dings. — -
Bond: «Tell me Miss Trench, do you play any other games?»
— – There is a small child table near the front desk. Surrounded by books, the child is playing a handheld video game. No wonder Social Security and Medicare are in jeopardy from a lack of high wage earners. — -
Dr. No: «I’m a member of SPECTRE.»
Bond: «SPECTRE?»
Dr. No: «SPECTRE: Special Executive for Counter-​Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, Extortion. The four great cornerstones of power headed by the greatest brains in the world.»
Bond: «Correction: Criminal brains.»
Dr. No: «The successful criminal brain is always superior. It has to be.»
— – Some People Educate Children Through Research Evaluation (SPECTRE) … or book report assignments. Here, at lunch time, I did not see any student with a pile of books, though. — -
Sylvia Trench: «When did you say you had to leave?»
Bond: «Immediately… almost immediately.»
— – For whatever reason (I can guess), there are no Bond girls at the library to tempt you to stay longer. — -