Digging the local library
Over at Northern Cheapskate, Christina wrote about book rentals and pointed out that (hello?) most areas of our fine country have free public library systems. This reminded me of something my husband mentioned earlier in the week.
On Saturday while our house was being used as a movie set, he spent some time hiding out at the library, browsing periodicals, picking up new books, and digging through public records to learn more about the history of our 90+ year old home. He commented to a librarian that the place was busy. The librarian agreed and said that at both libraries where he works, traffic is up and the turnover of books has increased dramatically. The economy, he speculated.
No doubt. There was a time, back in my six-figure-salary days, I had no idea where my local library was located, but Amazon.com was at the top of my bookmarks. I’m pretty sure that books make up the bulk of the weight of my belongings whenever I move, and I have rooms full of furniture. On the other hand, I think I’ve purchased one book this year; it was something I had already borrowed from the library, but I wanted to have on hand for reference and motivation. Books just aren’t part of the budget anymore.
Our local library system is fantastic. While I can’t say I’m all that impressed with the breadth of their collection, they have an online system that allows me to search the database of all county libraries from home, find books or multimedia that I want to borrow, and place a hold on that item. When it is returned — or if it was already shelved, when it is shipped to my local library — I get an e-mail and have 10 days to pick it up.
They also have a system that sends automated e-mail reminders a couple of days before your books are due, and you can renew them online. Late fees used to be a constant hassle for forgetful me and this has been a real moneysaver.
I’m a big believer that if you can read well and comprehend what you’ve read, no knowledge is out of reach. I’ve used the library for entertainment, but I’ve also used it to teach myself about gardening in this region, plan our family vacation, refresh my acting skills, learn the music for an upcoming audition, and find low-carb recipes. We also attended a lecture about the history of trumpets in jazz and I’ve slotted a couple of upcoming free movies into our calendar.
Ages ago when I was in grade school, I used to beg my mom to take me to the library weekly so I could check out a new armload of books. By the time I was in middle school, I had read my way through the young adult section, the adult mystery/spy section (I was a huge fan of Christie, Gardner, Fleming, etc), and started into sci-fi and fantasy. It’s been nice to rediscover the library, where I can indulge my wide variety of short-lived interests without spending a dime.
