Monday, August 22, 2011

Why Libraries Rock!



Tired of spending all that extra cash on paperbacks? Or maybe that pricey new e-reader still doesn't quite feel like an old fashioned book did in your hands? Are your household shelves choking on the plethora of books that you've already greedily devoured?

There's nothing quite like a trip to a well stocked library, which is where I've been going every week to get my book fix. Nine out of ten titles I'm looking for are either right there on the shelf or can be loaned from another library. The best part is that it doesn't cost me a dime and my house isn't crowded with tons of leftover books from the store. Besides, you can checkout music, movies, and lots more in addition to books!

I've often found that other writers usually have pretty fond memories of their first visit to a library. A lot of authors tend to have their favorite one or two libraries that they haunt on a regular basis. So what are your fondest library memories and what keeps you going back for more?


28 comments:

  1. Our local library is pretty good, but I don't get down there very often.

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  2. My local library isn't that great (although it's good in a pinch), but luckily I also have a card to the big city one that's forty minutes from my house. Technically, I shouldn't be able to have it becasue I live so far away, but I'm not telling :)

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  3. Hello Mark:
    You touch on one of the main things which we miss about the UK, the absence of ready and immediate access to a public library. Until very recently it was possible to borrow books from the British Council who had a reasonable selection. However, cuts in spending have resulted in the closure of the library and so we are deprived. Instead we continue to buy books and put up more shelves!

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  4. Not to gross you out (okay, maybe a little), but I was idly watching the local news Friday night when they announced my public library has bedbugs. Ewww, ewww, and ewww.

    Other than that, my library is a very nice place. I'm just never going to sit down in there again.

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  5. Wow, that first library photo looks amazing! I would love to have one of those around my tiny Colorado town. I go to the library 3 or 4 times a week with my toddler. I love that everyone knows her name and she gets so excited for storytime and puzzles, etc. Lately, I've been browsing the non-fiction section. There are some pretty sweet topics out there, and I find something interesting every time I go. Did you know that Pat Conroy (wrote The Prince Of Tides, The Lords of Discipline, etc.) wrote a cookbook? It's awesome, because he shares personal stories along with some great recipes (I have no idea why I just decided to plug Pat Conroy's cookbook...but now I'm getting hungry).

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  6. My local library is one of my favorite places to visit. I'm actually fortunate that I work for my city, and the library is in the building next door. We're also the home of the 2nd largest storytelling festival in the U.S., so they host a lot of fabulous events relating to verbal storytelling.

    http://timpfest.org/

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  7. I get most of my books at the library. Don't want all those read books around. I recall the librarian placing my card and book under an eerie green light, pressing a button that went "ka=chunk" and I think a photo was taken. Back in the day. Friend and I went and gathered armloads of books we just yanked off the shelf--no idea if good or not-- and read on the grass all summer.

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  8. That first picture is beautiful. I love libraries :)

    My local library is very very small but my ticket allows me to use the big one in town too. Unfortunately I don't get there very often. Still, at least it's still open!

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  9. They are wonderful... I go to mine every week.

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  10. Hear, hear! I haven't bought a book in a while, thanks to our local library. It's so convenient how you can search online for virtually any title and have it sent to the library closest to you. A timely post, considering it's Ray Bradbury's birthday and he's a HUGE supporter of the public library system.

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  11. Alex – Major props for supporting your local branch!

    J.A. - That's okay. I use my nearest library, but one a few towns over has a really good selection, so I use both.

    Jane/Lance – Boo to cuts in spending...I hope there are at least some libraries nearby for you. I think it was T.S. Eliot that said a library is the 3rd most important feature in a town after a church and a university.

    L.G. - Sounds like a work of fiction...or at least something you could write a story about;)

    Jess – Yup it sure does. It kind of reminds me of one of the local libraries I go to, as it's old world style reminds me a bit of something out of Harry Potter. They also have Harry Potter days at our library where the kids dress up like Hogwarts students.

    Sarah – Well, in that case, maybe you can utilize their interlibrary loan system and have some of those books sent to you:)

    Jeff – Indeed:)

    Milo – Gosh, good point about Ray Bradbury! I too have really cut back on spending money on books since I started utilizing libraries full time.

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  12. What a great post topic! I work as a librarian, so I have a special fondness for libraries. I loved going to the local public library with my parents as a kid, and picking out my favorite Beatrix Potter books. I seemed to pick out the same books every week. :D I change my books now, but I still love going to the library. That is how I get the vast majority of the books I read.

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  13. I love the smell of libraries and the history of the old libraries too. My fondest library memory was with a friend at school and we regularly scoured the shelves for more books to read.

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  14. During the summer I take my kiddos to the library every single week. They each get to pick 4 or 5 books, plus 1 movie each. They love it! And I get to support my own habit. Plus, they have so much for kids to do there that I got lots of unadulterated reading/writing time while sitting right next to them. Love the library!

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  15. I love libraries. The library of the club I am a member of, is pretty good and the guy in charge calls me whenever new books arrive. I can spend hours in libraries.

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  16. My family checks out 40 library books a week. We are so pro-library. Also, I do a lot of writing in the YA section of my library. You overhear the best teen discussions.

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  17. I love taking my kids to the local library and watching their little faces light up at all the covers.

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  18. Good reasons to visit the library. My shelves and my bedroom are overrun with books. Of all the libraries I've visited, the ones I used to use in school are the best. Endless rows of books that fed my reading addiction for years.

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  19. We had such a teeny library when I was a kid, but I still remember spending hours searching through every shelf, loving every minute of it. I love writing in a library now. Something about being surrounded by that many books is intoxicating!

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  20. You're not kidding. With Borders closing I might have to start going to the library again. I used to be there all the time. The only problem with that is that I like to keep my books and reread them. I guess we have to adapt to change. I'm also considering caving in a buying an ereader. The laptop hurts my eyes after a while. Thanks for reminding me that libraries still exist. :)

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  21. Hello Mark
    You blog impresses me and I am your newest follower.
    A great question, my husband uses the library constantly and I seem to use it less, I am not a very fast reader and so incur fines. I tend to buy on Amazon (used books). I love my home library and when I return it is the first room I visit.
    Helen

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  22. I've been told that I should read The Wheel of Time series. After finding out how big they are (and how many there are), there's no way I could afford (or store) all of them. That's were a library comes in. I even go there when my blocks are the most stubborn. The local public library. We're good, good friends!

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  23. Julie – Librarians are awesome! It seems most writers have memories of their parents taking them to the library as kids to get the book habit started.

    Lynda – Yup, the smell of books. Joss Whedon remarks on that through his characters one why the love books no matter what technological updates occur.

    Shannon – That’s great that you take your kids there! Plus it gives you the added benefit of being surrounded by inspiration, nicely done:)

    Rachna – The sign of a true book-lover, the people at your library know to call you;)

    Christa – 40 a week, well done! That’s cool that you get writing done there as well, it really emphasizes the multi-purpose uses of a library for people.

    Ciara – That’s great that you can pass on the thrill of reading to your children that way:)

    J.L. – Yup, a house fills up pretty quick with books sometimes. You’ve got a point about school libraries, universities especially can have great selections of books.

    Peggy – Amen to being intoxicated by books. Even little libraries have heart:)

    Laila – Glad to have helped the light bulb go off for you;) The library is like an old, loyal friend just waiting for you to return.

    Helen – Glad you like it! No need to be a fast reader, just a happy one:)

    Sylar – Thanks!

    David – I’ve been meaning to conquer that set of books myself at some point and will probably do the same. Glad to know that you and your local library are best buds;)

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  24. Singapore has one of the best-stocked libraries in the world, but what I love about its national library is its service...so yes, I'm an ardent library fan.

    My best memories of my college years are those of spending the weekends reading at the library

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  25. I love the library - searching for a good read among the shelves. A couple weeks ago I was there with my kids and saw a woman working at a laptop and what looked like a manuscript in front of her. Sure enough when I looked at the books sitting in a stack next to her, they were about writing fiction. :)

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  26. ooo I love love love libraries! In fact, I came about *this close* to getting my masters in library sciences instead of English...and still regularly think about going back and getting a masters in library sciences. Working in a library would be such an awesome job :) I often check the help wanted section in my local paper, just in case the library ever hires. If it does, I'm applying, whether I need the job or not LOL

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  27. I'll tell you what I miss and this sounds completely crazy, but I miss card catalogs. I know the internet has made that so much easier, but there was something about fishing through the card catalog to find what you needed.

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