A little wellness for my soul: the library!

Armed with the library card I’d found under the Christmas tree, we set off into the city — ready to spice up our search for baby furniture with a little extra happiness: the Vienna City Library! Most of my books are still not with me, since our last moving attempt had to be reduced to what could fit in a family car (our transporter wasn’t allowed into Hungary due to high insurance risk — apparently, the country is on the no-go list for pricier rental vehicles from Austria…). So this gift hit especially hard this year!

And the very best part? I finally made peace with the idea of using an eReader. I used to resist it furiously, thinking it ruined the experience — no smell, no texture of paper. But lately, I’ve often found myself in situations where I simply couldn’t carry the 900-page book I’m currently reading, and I had to admit: an eReader is still better than nothing. And when your husband knows you so well that he reads every thought like an open book — well, that library card just had to come with a sleek, matte-black eReader, too. Welcome to my life, new era!

The library itself is breathtaking: an enormous space with literally millions of books spread across multiple floors, each section with its own information desk and wonderful staff eager to help you find your perfect read. When I shyly asked about sheet music, they sent me upstairs — and there it was: floor-to-ceiling shelves full of scores, a music room with big French windows overlooking the city, a record player… and a piano! I was speechless when I stepped into the music section. When I asked about my favourite composer, the librarian immediately knew where to look. I still can’t believe such a place exists.

Borrowing books and sheet music is done either at the reception desk or through one of the many self-service kiosks. I chose the latter — I wanted to learn how things work here as quickly as possible. A quick tap of the library card, a scan of the cover (it didn’t even need the barcode — just recognized the book instantly!), a press of “OK,” and I was done. Learning really can be this easy.

The icing on the cake is that I can borrow not only printed works but also eBooks, making it possible to enjoy both the comfort of my Kindle and the magic of real books for an entire year after activation — and beyond, as long as I keep renewing my membership.