On my way back to work after lunch this afternoon, I decided to scroll through my iPod’s playlist for my new favorite song, Kimya Dawson‘s The Library featuring Aesop Rock from her newest album, Thunder Thighs, and play it loudly to encourage a favorable mood for returning to my workplace. Nothing like a little affirmation of one’s calling in life as when your favorite artist advocates the institution for which you work through his or her artistry! I’ve always admired Kimya for her passion for music and her uninhibited desire and willingness to share whatever’s on her mind through melody. This song has made me appreciate and adore her all the more!

The lyrics present several things you can do or get at the library and many reasons why the library’s “the perfect place to be.” They even give props to the people at the library who are there to help you–the librarians! I especially love the reference transaction in which a patron is looking for books by Judy Blume and the helpful librarians respond, not only with the location of the books in question, but with other great suggestions too! Every time I listen to it, I start to imagine what the music video would look like: Kimya, surrounded by children and puzzles and stacks of books, and a quirky librarian with the horn rimmed glasses, cardigan and bun letting loose and dancing on the reference desk!

As I was walking up the steps to the front entrance of my library, with the song still replaying in my mind, I felt as if it was continuing in real time. A mother and her two children were ahead of me, and the little boy was excitedly explaining, “…and you can find a movie to watch while we go play on the computers!”