Back to the future

So it’s come to this. Libraries are installing “quiet rooms” so that anyone who wants to read a book can have a little peace and quiet.

“A library is supposed to be a place where you study, but now people type on computers, watch TV, talk on the phone. There’s no civility,” said one grateful patron in the quiet room at a Houston library.

This is an idea whose time has come. In fact, the same retro concept ought to be used by some other outfits:

-- Grocery stores could go back to selling food, not motor oil or rugs.

-- Auto parts stores should not sell cashews. (I have seen this!)

-- Donut shops could focus on donuts, orange juice and other things you have at breakfast instead of lunchtime sandwiches.

-- Coffee shops could lose the soup. It’s hot and wet like coffee, but it ain’t the same.

-- Government offices could treat taxpayers with courtesy and respect.

… OK, that last one is a bit far-fetched. But let’s give the others the ol’ college try.