Wednesday, May 31, 2006

sumer is icumin in

At the Main Library we see a lot of visitors all year long, but in the summer the extent to which we serve tourists is really noticeable. Judging by the number of visitors coming to the desk, it is Definitely Summer Now. A couple of summers ago we kept track for a while, asking the internet users whether they were city residents, county residents, or from Elsewhere. These are the numbers we collected:
    Main: City users 50%, county 9%, other 41%
    La Farge: City 70%, county 22%, other 8%
    Bookstop: City 68%, county 22%, other 11%
The Library considers itself a front line for visitors, providing access to computers for airline e-tickets, changes of reservations, email; offering maps and tourist guides; recommending personal favorites such as: Restaurants: Del Charro or La Choza for those on a budget, or Mucho Gusto or El Farol. And easy treks outside of town—-St. John’s, the Audubon Society, etc. And best day trip, Ghost Ranch. And answering questions such as, "Do you have the Opera schedule? Where is the O'Keeffe Museum? Where can I go kayaking? Is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad running?" (Yes!!!)

This post has a soundtrack, the old English round "sumer is icumin in". Go to the full soundclip link for the best effect. The words are kind of nice too. 'Groweth sed and bloweth med and springth the wude nu. Sing, cuccu!' (The seed grows; the meadow blossoms, and the wood alivens anew. Sing, cuckoo!)

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