259. Bigfork, Montana

First thing you need to know: If you ask your GPS to guide you to Bigfork, you must write it the proper way, as one word. Otherwise, your GPS will plead ignorance. The town took me by surprise; I was driving from Glacier Park--driving and driving--and  suddenly I was in this charming tourist mecca, lined with shops and very lively. I'm not sure what my preconceptions of Montana had me expecting, but this wasn't it! [Hey, I was raised in the East and have spent more than 40 years in the Midwest; it's not that I was expecting a ghost town, exactly, but.... OK, I'm sorry, I know better now!]

As I sit down to write this post, I discover that I have a couple of problems. First, the visit was four days ago. Second, my notes are more-than-usually illegible. And finally, and this is not a bad thing, I got talking to staff and didn't write down as much as I should have. But I shall do my best.

The main thing that caught my eye was a very unusual (to me) round table and bench, see picture below. I'd never seen anything like this before, but perhaps it is a Montana specialty, because I did spot one later during my visit to the state.

In the back of the library there is a large conference table, and a circle of upholstered chairs near the windows, similar to the "living room" browsing areas that I like a lot. There are at least four computers available.

This town, as well as Kalispell and Columbia Falls, is part of a county library system. The four branches, of which I visited three, are "Imagine if" libraries, indicating a creative approach to library services, in my opinion. Look around the website and you'll find some interesting things going on.

For more about the Bigfork library, go to http://imagineiflibraries.org/about-us/locations-and-hours/. This is the home page of the county system. They also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/imagineiflibraries.

7/10/14, car

Isn't this a neat table?