Do you use your public library?

[Aimeedyan]

I made my weekly run by the public library and got to thinking how great it really is.

Using the library for my magazine addiction has been a huge budget saver for us! I check out 5-7 magazines a week on average instead of buying ones that look interesting at the check out stand. I came home with 6 tonight, plus 2 new books. I often grab a couple DVDs, too, but with the Olympics starting, I figured we'd stick to watching that.

Do you use your public library? If not, why?

 

[Cindy B]

Yes I do. I use interlibrary loans so I don't have to buy college textbooks.

My library charges for new "entertainment" DVDs and video games but documentaries, independent, foreign language are free.

In the summer, I read books constantly and have a long list on
my holds.

 

[okeydokey]

We are regulary library users. I can't remember the last time I bought a book or magazine. We attend their free movies and family programs also, and until we got internet at home used the computers there. I think the public library system is one of the best things this country ever did.

 

[kpm76]

Oh yes, we use it all the time. Both DH and I are avid readers. About 2 years ago, we realized that we'd need to build an addition on our house if we continued to buy books so we started to use the library. We still buy books we really want to keep (i.e. DH bought all of the hard cover Harry Potter books to pass on to our DD). I take DD to the library for story hour. I love it....such a wonderful resource

 

[Phedre]

My library is very small and so I have to request almost everything I want through interlibrary exchanges. My husband is afraid that I'm ticking off the librarians by constantly requesting so many books

But I do love never having to buy any books

 

[KristaTX]

My husband is at the library as I type this . We have a brand new one in the neighborhood.

 

[NMAmy]

Yep, every week--I always have. I really like being able to reserve books online and then just picking them up when they're ready. Our library doesn't charge for dvd's so I get a lot of movies from there as well as books. Our library gets a lot of use by the community--sometimes when I stop by, the parking lot is almost full.

 

[olena]

No - I've been but it doesn't meet my needs.

It's too far away to reach on foot, so I don't go.

 

[Cantw8]

just to search the net for porn

 

[hereyago]

DD10 and I use it regularly. We actually are card holders of at least 4 different libraries in surrounding cities and DD also has a library card for the city where her DF lives. We went to Oahu last year to visit friends and our condo was within walking distance of a library, so we went in and got a visitor's pass, I think I paid 10.00 but that was a month pass, so DD has a library card from Hawaii!

Every summer, DD does the summer reading log at the closest library.

 

[OceanAnnie]

We're regulars.

I wish we could check out magazines! As it stands I have a ton of magazines to donate to our library. I'm trying not to renew any subscriptions. I love the magazines I get, but I never throw them out! I *think* I'll go back and read them again, but seldom do. I save them for recipes (it would be like finding a needle in a haystack) and decorating ideas.

Same with books. Most that I own I've read once. Don't care to read them again. I should donate most of my books too.

 

[NHdisneylover]

My library is very small and so I have to request almost everything I want through interlibrary exchanges. My husband is afraid that I'm ticking off the librarians by constantly requesting so many books

But I do love never having to buy any books

If it makes you feel any better I can tell you that us librarians at our small town library aren't bothered by that at all We are ahppy hte system gets used (oh yeah and WE order just as many books through the system as our patrons do).

YES--I use the library so much that I am now working at it DD11 had the highest circulated card in town (well ,we serve 2 small towns actually)last year

 

[rcraw45425]

I am also an avid reader and use the library regularly. In fact their homepage is bookmarked as a link on every computer in our house. I check out my favorite authors on B&N then request from the library. I can do it online and then they call when the book is at my local branch. Saves us a ton of money (although I still buy ones by authors I reread) and also saves me a lot of shelf space.

 

[mommasita]

Yes. My daughter is a very avid reader, and it thrills me to no end.

I often buy the books in 2nd hand stores and garage sales, as they are very pricey, and she reads quickly.. We now make weekly trips to the library, and really enjoy it..

 

[Aimeedyan]

We're regulars.

I wish we could check out magazines! As it stands I have a ton of magazines to donate to our library. I'm trying not to renew any subscriptions. I love the magazines I get, but I never throw them out! I *think* I'll go back and read them again, but seldom do. I save them for recipes (it would be like finding a needle in a haystack) and decorating ideas.

Same with books. Most that I own I've read once. Don't care to read them again. I should donate most of my books too.

I'm the same as you! I have 2 huge rubbermaid bins of magazines that I don't know what to do with and don't want to throw away for some reason.

I need to find a shelter or something to donate them to.

 

[Michelle67]

Yep, we do. When I was working as a driver I checked out books on tape/CD every week. Saved my sanity in rush hour traffic. Now we check out books a little less often but we still use it. We also support our "Friends of the Library" association by buying and re-donating a neverending stream of paperbacks. At a quarter apiece, my oldest and I can feed our reading addiction very cheaply that way, and I like that we are putting money into the library.

 

[nannerbadnanner]

Yes! I love our little library. Since my daughter turned two, we started attending storytime. We check out books for her and make it a priority to read for her. We also check out "Bear and the Big Blue House" videos for her almost every week because she loves them. My DH and I do check out books when we know we will have time to read and finish them.

 

[OzFan]

My library is very small and so I have to request almost everything I want through interlibrary exchanges. My husband is afraid that I'm ticking off the librarians by constantly requesting so many books

But I do love never having to buy any books

We love our patrons that request books from other libraries. It keeps our circulation stats up. I have noticed a big change in our usage. It seems when times are hard, many people go for the "free" entertainment. THANK YOU all! It keeps me employed!

 

[JVL1018]

I our library!

It's a terrific library too, nice and spacious(totally redone a couple of yeras ago), great chidlrens room and activites.

I go about once a week, anything they don't have I order(online- how much do I love that!) through interlibrary loan.

If I had to buy all the books I read, we'd be in the poorhouse. I can't imagine not utilizing the library,

 

[TheGoofster]

When we lived in the States we used it all the time. Unfortunately living here in Mexico, we don't have any kind of library anywhere near us (even if we did, I wouldn't get much use out of it). Whenever we take an extended trip back to the States, we try to get a library card from the town we are staying in. My kids just can't believe how much stuff you can find in the library. It's one of the things that I really miss about living in the US.