Library love

My local library branch

I love the library. If you aren't utilizing your library, you should be. They have so much to offer, especially if you live in a big city. There are the obvious financial and greener benefits to borrowing books from the library, but there are so many more. I get CDs from there. I get cookbooks from there that I'm considering buying so I know if it has enough recipes I like before I purchase it. If I'm traveling somewhere I'll usually buy one travel book I can thrash, but then get others from the library. They have movies. They have DVD how-to guides {this is how my mom taught herself to knit}. They have magazines. If you have kids, they have storybook readings and singalongs. I could go on. Oh wait, I will. They sell overstocked and old copies of books and magazines for crazy cheap. You know those out of print Domino magazines that go for an exorbitant amount on eBay? I got some copies for $0.10 each. Jealous?

So maybe you're thinking, "I've been to my library, they didn't have ________ {insert your option: much, anything new, what I was looking for, etc.}" This is why I said "especially if you live in a big city." In San Diego you can search for your heart's desire on the internet from the comfort of your home, put it on hold, they'll send it to your nearby branch for free, and send you an email to let you know when it's ready for you to pick it up. Sounds easy right? Yeah, 'cause it is. A trip to the library can literally take me less than 5 minutes.

Now maybe your excuse is that when you last used the library you racked up a $20 fine. If it becomes a regular resource for you and have a hold list of things you want at all times, you'll want to make trips to the library. I was excited today because a Delta Spirit CD I had requested was in, which made me get off my arse and return my checkouts three days before they were due. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely racked up my fair share of fines, but I look at the fines as waaayyy cheaper then if I had bought even a quarter of what I borrow. Plus, any money I have to pay in fines goes to a really good cause, keeping the library up and running.

Obviously I don't know about the particular workings of your library system, but I urge you to check it out.

Options a plenty

Today's checkouts