One of the most interesting things about my job is the opportunity to observe the interests of a rapidly growing group of people -- the library patrons of Douglas County.

Another interesting thing is the opportunity to poke through our rapidly growing collection. Two of the books on tape I've recently listened to have given me some new ways of looking at our community's behavior.

Over a year ago, I auditioned for a part in a play, "Fiddler on the Roof." As I sat in the high school auditorium, waiting for my turn, I suddenly noticed something. I was enjoying myself.

I had, in the days before the audition, spent a lot of time in various public meetings. But this was the first time I noticed the striking similarities between politics and theater. The difference was that in theater, the lines are pretty well written, and the people know they're acting.

I remember very keenly the moment when I got my first deep glimpse into my father's life.

I was 17, not an age when most sons are in synch with their dads. We were eating dinner and talking about Viet Nam, my discomfort with the fact that I was, in all likelihood, about to get drafted.

Colorado is unusual in many respects, but not least is the way we make it easy for people to use our libraries. I've lived in states where crossing an invisible line meant that you suddenly had to fork over $100 a year to use a nearby library. And if you wanted to directly connect to your local library's computer, then the next library to it, that meant two phone calls, usually running two different telecommunication protocols.