Do You Utilize Your Local Library?

[scfr]

Do you utilize your local library? How? My local library is small but overflowing with useful resources:

There are the more traditional uses:

• reading the newspaper
• checking out books, audiobooks, and DVDs

Electronic resources are terrific and I can use them all from home or on the go so not being able to get to the library is not a barrier to use:

• audiobooks for my phone (to listen to while walking or driving)
• eBooks (Just this morning I discovered mini editions of the "for Dummies" series of books ... quick, easy reads ... they even have a mini edition of "Personal Finance for Dummies")
• magazines
• research databases (too many things to list but it includes SAT/ACT prep and practice tests, genealogy, research on companies, homework resources, and on and on and on ...)
• study foreign languages

My local library also offers:

• entertainment and educational programs --- many geared towards children, but plenty for adults too
• classes and special-interest clubs
• educational play area for children
• use of Wifi, computers, printer, fax
• tax forms
• voter information

I'm sure there are a lot of other things.

DH and I have done some talk of relocating, and one thing I've done is check out the library in the areas we have discussed. That's how important a good library is to me. If there weren't a good local library nearby I'd get by somehow, but it certainly saves me a lot of money and really enriches my life.

[Thrif-t]

Yes! Our library is great and offers many programs for young and old. I mostly just check out books and magazines and print things for free. We have a 50 page daily free allowance. No more buying toner for my home printer that just dries up before use! When my kids were little we went to the library every week for their kid programs.

Here's a few of the programs they offer for adults. I honestly don't have time in this stage of my life to partake in them but I like that it's there for me when I'm ready.

Book and Multimedia Discussion
Novel Ideas
Enjoy a monthly gathering of readers for a book discussion led by Library staff.

The Book Was Better
Join us for a lively discussion on what was done well and what missed the mark when the book world and movie world collide. Bring your opinions.

Monday Night Intrigue
True crime books have evolved from illicit drugstore pulp to well researched texts documenting some of the horrors of society. The Library’s new book club, Monday Night Intrigue, offers patrons an opportunity to dive into the seedy underbelly of human behavior and flex your armchair detective skills. Join Library staff who will lead your journey into the stories that will sometimes chill you to the bone. Library staff will coordinate reserving books for registered patrons.

Enrichment and Lifelong Learning
The Arts Series
Our Arts series offers patrons the opportunity to get creative. Whether it’s a hands-on lesson, a demonstration from a local craftsman, or an artist’s presentation, this series offers something for everyone.

Art Show
Open to patrons of the Library, each season will bring a new opportunity for artists to display their talents.

Entertainment
Movie Matinee @ The Library
In collaboration with the Center for Older Adults, the library shows a recently released move on the first Monday of the month. Join us for popcorn and a movie!

Live @ The Library
An eclectic mix of free music and live performances

Trivia Night at the Library
Trivia Night at the Library is an all ages event where teams made up of family and friends can compete answering general knowledge and pop culture questions. Join us for an evening of fierce, but fun, competition.

History
Historical Society

Our town is rich with history giving the Library and the Historical Society an opportunity to revisit some of those wonderful times.

Genealogy Club
Local genealogists gather bi-weekly to learn the best approach to explore their family trees.

Lectures and Ideas
Speaker Series
The Speaker Series explores a wide variety of topics with the intention of sparking community interest and motivating learning in unexpected ways. Our goal is to offer something for everyone!

Wild Ideas
Sometimes things don't fit into a nice box. This series gives patrons the opportunity to explore ideas that maybe aren't part of the everyday.

[creditcardfree]

Yes! Although, I stick primarily to books and movies for check out. I do keep an eye on events. I think they are a fantastic resource for communities.

[disneysteve]

I don't. It's probably been 2-3 years since I've been inside the library. They don't really offer anything that I'm lacking in my life. I'm not a reader at this point. Books are pretty impossible as my eyes have gotten older. I do have an Amazon Fire if I want to read and they have hundreds of free books in the Kindle store. I don't need internet access. We don't rent DVDs. I don't have time for clubs and other social activities.

My wife uses the library's online service to get free books to read on her iPad but she doesn't physically have to go there.

Our daughter will sometimes check out books when she's home for the summer.

[kork13]

I use my available libraries all the time, albeit mostly for e-books via the Hoopla or OverDrive apps. Only rarely do I actually stop in to the actual library, but I do appreciate the availability of resources. I will say, though, when I need to focus on a random special project, I'll go to the library & work in one of their rooms there. It's quiet & easy to concentrate.

[Budget Kitty]

Yes, I use the library all the time. Audiobooks are a perfect way to make use of my commuting time and I love to read so between the hard copy books available and the ebooks I can access I can read almost anything I want. The kids take out books too and there is also a decent selection of movies available.

[scfr]

Just finished listening to the audiobook (downloaded for free from my library to my phone, listened to it in the car while driving to & from work) "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe The World" by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy retired). It was a nice, short, very inspirational listen.

[Budget Kitty]

Just finished listening to the audiobook (downloaded for free from my library to my phone, listened to it in the car while driving to & from work) "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe The World" by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy retired). It was a nice, short, very inspirational listen.

I've never read that book, but Admiral McRaven gave an amazing speech a few years ago and based on the book title it sounds like he discusses the same concepts as he does in the book. The speech is about 20 minutes long but it is so worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70

[scfr]

I've never read that book, but Admiral McRaven gave an amazing speech a few years ago and based on the book title it sounds like he discusses the same concepts as he does in the book. The speech is about 20 minutes long but it is so worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70

Yes, the book is a bit of an expansion of the graduation speech.

[Gailete]

I'm the kid that told my mother I wanted to live in the Library of Congress because of the enormous amount of books there. At one point when my grades had slipped, My mother told me to get my grades up or I wouldn't be allowed to go to the library. 8th grade through 4 years of college, 2 years of nursing school, I worked as a library aide. Don't ask why I didn't go into library science.

I love our library, but I just don't get out like I used to although I make sure I hit up their Friends of the Library Book Sales, so I have my own library going on here. I get twitchy if I don't have at least 100 books on stand by here in case of blizzards or ill health preventing me going to the library. Because of the books I get to read and review, and my own stash, I have so many books, I don't need to get out to the library like I used to. I never ever feel asleep while reading even if I was reading in the middle of the night, but with the meds I'm on I fall right to sleep so much, so I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be. Errands, even going to the library, wear me out so much, that it is hard to not have the freedom to pop in and check out 10 books and have them all back and read in a week or two.

The library tax part of our property tax bill is the only part I don't resent the cost. I was so blessed to have a 1st grade teacher to realize something was going on with me when I was learning to read, and between her and my mom, I learned and for the most part I deal adequately with dyslexia. I have devoured somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000+ books in my lifetime. I don't even think there was a diagnosis for dyslexia back when I was 5-6.

Libraries are our friends!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I can vaguely remember the last time I went to the public library for anything other than voting. Don't recall why I was there, but I just remember sampling the magazines, sitting in front of a big two story window. That was maybe three years ago. I still buy second-hand books and, ironically, some of them are library discards.

In the final period when I was a regular library user, I realized that it was no longer a place for me to read. The place had just become too loud and full of motion with kids darting around and even adults holding full voice conversations. Once when I sought refuge from the intense summer heat and humidity for an afternoon of reading, quite a few older people apparently were there also to escape the heat, but, moreover, for social interaction. They talked so much directly to me and interrupted so much that I couldn't read.

I don't go to the library anymore.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

absolutely. Love it. My kids love it and love going. We used to go at least 2-3x/week where we used to live to utilize all the kid events. But now it's less about 1x/week because the libraries where live aren't as well funded and not as much activities. So great to have the opportunity to utilize free stuff. Love the ebooks, kids books, etc.

Where we lived they had a ton of free museum passes to boot.

[disneysteve]

I realized that it was no longer a place for me to read. The place had just become too loud and full of motion with kids darting around and even adults holding full voice conversations.

This is so true. Years ago, I used to go to the library for a quiet place to work and focus. Today, that's impossible. It is much more of a social gathering place. Our library even has a coffee shop right in the middle of the main floor. It's definitely not a place to go for quiet anymore.

[bernod]

Yes. My kids love going to a local library. We go there 2-3 times per month.

[FindingFreedom]

Yes! I used the library constantly when I was a stay at home parent for free events for the kiddos. Now we check out new books weekly to avoid the fatigue that comes from reading the same bedtime story every night. Our library also offers digital materials for check out including books, magazines and audio files. I can't even calculate how much utilizing the free resources of our library has saved us over the years.