The other day on Twitter a guy asked, “Does anybody still have a library card?” Not sure whether the question was plaintive or condescending, but the reaction was both swift and vociferous. The general consensus was, “Of course I do, and I don’t know why someone wouldn’t.”
One person actually said “I feel sorry for (that guy).”
Again, not sure where he weighed in on the topic. Maybe he’s one of those people who thinks he doesn’t need a library card because he has the Internet. But to paraphrase a meme I saw earlier today, “Saying you don’t need a library card because you have the Internet is like saying you don’t need a math teacher because you have a calculator.”
Maybe he was hoping to find his people online, because he’s one of those who got his library card as soon as he could sign his name. One of those who signed up for a new card every time he changed cities. One of those who, even though he reads e-books, swoons when he walks into a physical library and runs his fingers along the spines of the tomes in the “New Reads” section.
That would be me as well. Our libraries are finally open, and today I went back for the first time in probably a year and a half. The building itself is diminished: certain areas are closed off, and the traffic is noticeably lower than usual for a Saturday afternoon. But it was open. And I was finally back among my friends.
By “friends,” I of course mean “books.” I had to stop myself after choosing six. That took some doing, because I happen to know the limit is 50 items. But as much as I wanted to keep browsing, I didn’t want to carry 50 books. Besides, I figured I should save some of the new books for everyone else.
The library is one of my favorite places, and if you consider yourself frugal it should be among your top spots as well. Here’s why.
1. Free books
Some libraries have taken to printing “You saved X dollars today” on the check-out receipts. As in, if you’d have spent a bundle if you’d had to pay for these books. Reading books from the library isn’t a complete affront to authors, though, because once you find a writer you like you might very well:
- Buy your own copies
- Give them as gifts
- Suggest the author’s work to others, who might buy/give them
Many libraries, of course, offer e-books as well as physical ones. If you’re still wary about COVID or have some other reason not to want to be there in person, you can borrow online.
(Pro tip: If you want a book and it’s not in your library, request an inter-library loan.)
2. Free programs/courses
Book readings. Author events. Lectures. Concerts. Art exhibits. Plays. Online classes for practical or technical skills. Your mileage may vary, depending on where you live. I bet some of you have a lot more options than we do.
3. Free stuff
Well, the loan of stuff for free, anyway. Books (including e-books and audiobooks), CDs and DVDs are what’s expected. But certain libraries around the country also offer things like toys, musical instruments, passes to cultural centers, bakeware, sewing machines, cooking appliances, skates, gardening tools, board games and even fishing tackle.
4. Free wi-fi
Quite a few of the folks who frequent the Anchorage Library are using the Internet via phone, tablet or (more rarely) laptop. That’s okay. Means more books for me.
5. Free computers
Not everyone has a laptop, tablet or smartphone. The free computers at the library I use are always in demand.
6. Free information
How to file your taxes. How to look for a job. How to apply for benefits. How to sign up to vote. How to get into college. How to take a driver’s test. How to trace your family tree. And so on and so on.
7. Free activities
Storytime for parents and kids, outdoor concerts in the summer, a young readers book club, a “Teen Underground” where youths can socialize, do homework and play games. And that’s just here – no doubt other libraries have more.
8. Free magazines and newspapers
Yep, people still read these. Or at least they do up here.
9. Free peace and quiet
If you live in a crowded household, or work at a noisy place, the library can be an absolute haven. Ours has a little café in the lobby and some nice places to sit outdoors if you’re brown-bagging it from a nearby job, or stopping off while doing errands. I may or may not eaten McDonald’s fries near the Carl Nesjar ice fountain while feeling slightly menaced by greedy, fast-approaching Canada geese.
The old stereotype of the shushing librarian has pretty much gone by the wayside, but the Anchorage library does expect you to keep it down. The website specifies that you should not speak loudly or use phones in “a disruptive manner.” The rules also nix things like strong odors, wet or soiled clothing, “visible infestation” of lice or other pests, and open wounds, sores, bleeding or violent illness. I will keep that in mind.
Readers: Do you have a library card? And do you use it physically or virtually?
I have an active library card, and usually use it physically. I have used it virtually in the past to request/reserve books.
Our library has re-opened with limited hours for browsing, computer usage, and pickups. You can also pick up craft activities for the kids and teens, I think weekly. There are lots of online activities (which I usually do not participate in).
Computer time now requires a reservation and time is limited. Reservations are per the hour, and you have 45 mins. The keyboards are covered in heavy duty plastic, and cleaning of each spot/seat/area takes place within the remaining 15 minutes.
I will have to check and see if the silent auctions for fundraising (held monthly with donated items) are online.
The last two community in-person book sales have been cancelled. There are limited book sales (which includes CD’s and DVD’s) inside during the limited hours.
The Chili-Cookoff was cancelled last December. This event usually raises many thousands of dollars for the library (Guthrie Memorial in York County, PA) and other area charities, every year.
No eating in our library; we no longer have the inside cafe with the sandwiches and coffee. Have not had it for several years, and now the lobby/previous eating are is used for pickups. I think they still offer that Keurig coffee thing for $1.
I love the library book sale and hope they have it this fall. Many chances to overbuy!
I often park in their parking lot to use the good phone signal as the one at my house sucks. I often say we pay for high speed and have high hopes.
This! The library is my happy place.
For years our library has offered wifi outside, so people come in cars and on bikes to use wifi after hours, even before Covid. Inside the library, tutors come to tutor students, one on one. Our library has a continual sale, a huge wall of shelves with books for sale all the time. However, the huge library sale is an outdoor event on the very large porch. And, I do read newspapers and magazines. I have checked out cds when I did not have cable. I love the library.
Our township several years ago built a huge state of the art library that serves as community center for all kinds of activities – even a farmers market in warm weather. Despite this, I still hear from other township residents that it’s too expensive to maintain and the building should be sold (these are the folks who brag about having 937 channels on their televisions). Having a library card is one quantitative way of the Library can prove the number of citizens it serves at Budget hearings.
Our city council has its chambers on the ground floor of the main city library. I just wish that public transit were better, because it can be challenging to get there.
I am fortunate enough to belong to two libraries. I always have books on hand! Also I plan to start a free online language course next month.
When I lived in North Carolina, my library had a seed exchange. One could get free heirloom seeds. We were asked to try to save some of the seeds at harvest , but not penalized if we couldn’t.
When my children were in school, they participated in summer reading programs, book clubs, and movie afternoons at the library.
I work at a library and love reading comments from people who still visit their library. Even though we offer ebooks and audio books, I’m still one of those people who love to hold a book in my hands. Our library is open with limited hours for browsing and we offer doorside pick-up. We’ve been doing a lot of virtual programs since last March. I miss the in-person programs and can’t wait until we can re-open like we were pre-covid. Some people don’t realize that the library offers so much more than just books.
The library has been a huge part of my life since the first time my mom brought home a beginning reader book when I was learning to read (I’m now 61). The only “business” I missed when things began closing last spring was the library. I’ve worked in one, I’ve volunteered in one, I’ve been a regular patron since that first book, and one of the first things I did when we moved away temporarily a few years ago was to get a library card. Ours has been reopening in stages since June, and the day I read we could reserve books online and have them brought to our car curbside, I could have cried and/or leaped for joy. I love our library!
When I was an adult college student with a young child at home the library was my sanctuary.
It’s been a while since I went to my local library but I do have a library card.
I like the idea of going to the library, but I never seem to get there.
I love our local library system! I use it often for print books and ebooks. They offer SO many services other than books. Pre Covid they had all types of crafts and activities for children. My grandchildren always wanted to go. They had activities and classes for adults as well. They offer adult literacy and tutoring, I live in an area where many different languages are spoken so they offer English lessons and instruction. They have computers ans wifi . They have a homework help hot line and so much more. I never want to be without a library affiliation. Libraries are such a valuable part of their communities
Our little library in Kentucky had art, musical instruments, specialty bakeware, a bookmobile (that eventually came to MY house-long story), music to check out, books on CD and “playaway”, and up to date movies on DVD.
We moved to the Raleigh area right before the pandemic, and this small neighborhood library has books! I feel let down! BUT, I still have a library card!
I always will.
Yes, I have a library card and use it frequently. Mostly for books but the occasional magazine or CD too. I actually loaded up my old I-pod with CDs from the library and saved a ton. At least ten years later I’m still listening to them. My favorite musicians don’t get old. My library includes the price of the items borrowed on the bottom of the receipt and it is nice to see how much I save. This year I began to save them in an envelope to see how much I save in 2021. Due to Covid, our library was closed for several months during which time I was in mourning! Happily it reopened to curb side delivery and then onto open to the lobby and some select areas, one of which includes my favorite area: New Books. The librarians are more than willing to scout out books for you if the place you want to go is still closed off. Community events are still shut down but I’m looking forward to author talks, musical performances, movies and all the programs I enjoyed there in the past as Covid hopefully recedes into our memories. To end I must tell you I still remember the number on my first library card as a child…Q614. Kind of like how people can remember their childhood telephone numbers, I can remember my library card number. I wouldn’t be without a library card.
I can remember my childhood phone number. My dad had it for almost 60 years before moving.
So sweet! I love this!
Why, thank you.
Our little library has combined with the one in the next town over, which has lots of DVDs and a large collection of Great Courses. I’ve never seen the library as crowded as right after Superstorm Sandy hit. The library had power and WiFi, so everyone was there, from teens charging their phones to adults working when they couldn’t get online any other way. Now I need to check their website to see if they’re open yet.
About the geese: my family just got our first COVID vaccine shot. We went to the megasite at the Atlantic City Convention Center (very well run, btw) and walked on the boardwalk afterwards. Them Alaskan geese got nothing on Jersey seagulls! I was very glad that I had finished my lunch by then!
I remember being menaced by seagulls on the boardwalk. Very attitudinal.
I have a library card but I don’t go to the brick and mortar library very often. I use the digital library all of the time for ebooks and audio books. Audio books are usually pretty expensive, so I appreciate being able to borrow them. I still buy ebooks that I love and want to reread from Amazon sometimes to support the author, even if I can borrow them. The library has tickets to the botanical gardens and other fun museums that I used to get, but I haven’t done that since before COVID.
When my kids were elementary age, we lived in a town with an amazing assortment of summer programs
A typical summer week
Mon — magician performance
Tue — knitting club
Wed — Chile camp (read books and did activities… The book one week was holes.)
Thur — free movie night , With free popcorn
…
Also, there was American girls club, anime club for teens, and summer reading
Hi Donna,
As a motherless girl and labeled ‘weird kid’ growing up the library was a source of information about how to conduct ones self in the wider world (etiquette, fashion, and style guides) and place to find companionship via books.
As an adult I had a coworker who was taking a Masters in Library Science who told me that a survey stated that the person at work who everyone asks about how to handle situations always turns out to be the person who uses the library. An funnily enough, I was usually “that person”.
When my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer I knew where to do research on the treatment methods proposed because I knew how to locate the article in the peer reviewed journals.
Our local library just reopened to in-person traffic and it was really nice to be able to browse the stacks. Hopefully they will be able to remain open to in-person visits if the local yahoos will respect the masking regulations.
Jane
Masks aren’t fun. Lots of things that are the right thing to do aren’t fun. We don’t do them because they’re fun. We do them because they’re, you know, the right thing to do.
Here’s hoping the folks in your area — and all areas — are willing to think of the public good instead of just themselves.
Your fellow weird kid,
Donna
I am a long-time reader and almost never commenter, but this post speaks to my heart. I have had a library card since I was a child and in every county I’ve ever lived.
Our libraries have finally reopened to inside visitors again. Over the weekend my daughter and I went to pick up a book I had on hold and we were able to go inside and get it. I left with 6 books and she with 7. (it was all we could carry without a bag.)
It is easy to get book recommendations from a thousand different sources these days – and I use many of them, but there is something magical about walking the aisles of a library and having the books select you.
This! I missed roaming the stacks. “Having the books select you” = perfect.
Thanks for reading, and for de-lurking.
I love libraries and have taken advantage of free kids’ programs, free movies, free concerts, book clubs, nutrition classes, and recently finished 4 months of Spanish classes through their Adult Education Dept for free (with an actual teacher via Zoom!). But, my favorite thing are the summer reading programs. I sign my kids up for 4 every year (our city, 2 nearby cities, and the military base) – and 2 also had adult summer reading programs. We earned gift cards, free food coupons, free water park passes, free books, free ice cream, and more! I was seriously heartbroken last summer when they went online – not the same!
Effort plus reward = frugal summer.
FinCon is going to be in Texas again this year, but a little too far for you to drop by: It’s in Austin.
Ooh, it might be a good excuse for a road trip! Austin is 3 hours away.
Let’s stay in touch about this. Would be great to say hello again.
I’ve had a library card since I was old enough to read and still remember the wonderful smell of the old town library: old paper, oiled wood floorboards, leather book bindings, steam radiators on a cold, wet winter day. Best perfume ever.
It’s been wonderful to check out e-books during the pandemic. I wish we could keep them longer, as sometimes they are snatched back before I can get around to finishing them these days.
I certainly have a library card!
I live in a town with no bookstore, so I can get them for FREEto read.
I had a friend once who told me about the books and cds that he bought with his monthly check. I told him to check out the irems at the library for Free! I said, “If you can’t afford FREE you can’t afford anything!
I really enjoy the library and can stay for hours.
I feel rich when I go to the library: all those books, and I can borrow any of them.
I’ve had a library card for most of my adult life but haven’t used it much for several years now. I need to get back in the habit. I’m very much looking forward to donating books for library sales again.
My husband’s job took us all over the Southeast and the first thing I did after finding out our new address was find the nearest library and get a card. At one point, due to a lucky confluence of home and work addresses, I had cards to three different county libraries! Made keeping track of books borrowed an interesting challenge. The list of things “I’m grateful for . . . ” has always included libraries. I’m leaving them money in my will. Nowadays, I mostly check out books electronically, but I’m grateful for that as well.
I cherish my library card. It allows me to read about 75 books a year for free, which has given me investment ideas and saved me thousands!