Leaving the library to realize potential Working in a small library is a unique and special experience. Our community is small, but nestled between two larger towns, and an interstate jaunt of less than 50 miles to Charlotte, a large metropolitan area. We are near Lake Norman and the State Park, and some of our patrons are quite wealthy; however many of the residents are in the lower middle and poorer income brackets. There are business people, some of whom commute to work, and some farmers and teachers. Some of our patrons are elderly, quite a few school aged children frequent the library, some teens, and some young adults; their needs range from readers’ advisory for fiction series, troubleshooting school laptops, job and resume help, basic computer skills, storytime and most important of all, the need for a third place to enjoy and interact with others. My previous library experience had been both in a rural, empoverished village in South Africa, and in a medi