Ingenuity is a farmer’s middle name. I should know as I grew up on a farm where my father was our electrician, plumber, carpenter, tractor and automotive repairman, veterinarian, etc. Whatever needs done or fixed, a farmer can generally do it.

Fortunately, some of that “have-a-go-at-it” spunk rubbed off on me, a city dweller. And, thanks to my occupation as a librarian, I have never lacked instruction to help me do a project, whether carpentry, drywall work, plumbing or electrical. There are books and videos at the library to guide a do-it-yourselfer in the work that needs to be done.

Once, I did call in a plumber to help me solder a copper joint to a dripping copper pipe. He showed me a trick that I have used several times since. You stuff the leaking pipe with bread so that the pipe will remain dry long enough to get a good solder. The bread deteriorates and flows from the pipe once it is reconnected to the water main. That trick probably cost me fifty bucks back then. Had I used one of the library’s home plumbing books found in the 696 area of the collection, I could probably have saved myself the money.

I’ve been doing electrical work since I took a 4-H electricity program when I was fourteen years old. Back then we had to solder the copper wires together. Now, we use plastic wire connectors to join the wires. It’s so much easier. Whenever I have a wiring project, however, I consult the library’s home wiring books in the 621 area to make certain I am connecting the correct wires together.

The library’s books on using table saws, compound miter saws, radial-arm saws, joiners, and routers have been very helpful. Again, there are many tricks and techniques for using each of these tools and the books in the 684 area of the library can be of great assistance.

With today’s cars loaded with microchips and semi-conductors—let alone computers---I leave auto repair to the professional mechanics. For older models of cars, many people—primarily men—use the library’s extensive collection of car repair manuals in the 629 area. Patrons can also log on to the library’s website at www.columbuslibrary.info and go to “Services” and “Resource Center” to locate car repair information for cars from the 1930’s to the present. Access to this area is by way of a valid library card number.
Many farmers back a generation ago also did their own blacksmithing. I will never forget our small town’s blacksmith shop. It was black inside from the coal-fired forge. It smelled of coal smoke and was hot as Hades in the summer. My father did a few blacksmith tasks such as sizing horseshoes to the hooves of horses, but he left the heavy projects such as repairing plow blades to the town blacksmith. These days, blacksmithing and wrought iron work are costly skills done by artisans. The library owns a few books on these topics, however.

Whatever skill, craft, or repair-need a reader wants to do for himself, the library will probably own books on the subject.

The Library’s Children’s “Summer Reading Program” is in full swing. Each child who registers receives a bright green cloth book bag to carry his/her books to and from the Library. A child enrolled in a previous year will receive a patch to be sewn on the book bag. Some children who have been in the program for four years will have three different patches on their bags. The ladies from the Calico Quilt Club volunteer to sew on the patches. Look for children sporting chartreuse book bags. They are “summer readers”.