Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
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How can I best use the library?
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I go to my local library usually 3 times a week. Usually it is to pick up a book that has been in transit then, of course, I continue to browse. I use my Goodreads To Be Read list to order my library books. If I don't happen to like the book I borrowed, I don't feel as guilty bailing on it. I can just return it. I have a large home with a library but it will never be large enough for the amount of books I own. Using my library often, I don't have to worry about constantly tripping over books. It also keeps me in contact with my neighbors and community.
And I just got a new app (new for me, at least) called LibAnywhere which is connected to my library card. I can see what is in transit, what is due, renew books automatically, etc. My library website isn't user friendly. The app makes it easier
See if your library has Overdrive - it delivers ebooks and audiobooks directly to your Kindle (or epub reader), you can see your holds easily, etc. I LOVE my library! I have 10 books checked out right now, and 17 more on request.
Thank you so much Amy and Chrissy for your tips! I have a Kindle and a Nook, but I can't help but lean toward the printed page, just for enjoyment. With these new apps, getting an ebook for free is too tempting....
Love my library!!! I have them order books in for me if they don't have them. I also participate in their activities.. I go to the library often
I also visit my Library once a week. I love that I can request a book from our large library system and have it delivered to my local branch. My library is open many nights until 8, so I just check my email when I get out of work at 6 and swing by if needed. I have cut my spending on books to almost nothing. I also like that by using the libarary that I am helping to keep it open for the people who need it for resources like the Internet and free movie rental. I do try and purchase a few used books each month to help support our "Friends of the Library", then after I read them I donate them back to the used book sale.
Full disclosure: I'm currently getting a Master's degree in library science. I grew up going to the library regularly, and right now I have cards at 8 different public library systems (thanks, California public libraries). I'm even sitting in a library while writing this. So you could say I'm a bit of a library fan. Many public libraries utilize Overdrive these days to offer ebooks and audiobooks. (There are other services too- Hoopla, Totalboox, etc. In my experience, Overdrive is the best for standard ebooks and audiobooks, and seems to be the most commonly used.) it's a WONDERFUL resource for digital books. I personally love ebooks and audiobooks, though I get why some people have an aversion to reading a book on their phone or similar device. On the other hand, the ease of checking them out/returning, carrying around a number of titles in your pocket all the time, reading them on the go... it's just so convenient. Audiobooks can take some getting used to, but if you find the right reader, and a book suited to the format, they can be even better than reading it as text.
I suggest: Take advantage of the programs your library offers, like book clubs or reading programs (not just for kids! I've won a lot of tote bags this way, lol) - as well as the non-book-centric ones (my sister's nearest library recently offered a series of ukulele lessons, for instance; the one I'm hanging out in right now is doing yoga classes this month).
You can get recommendations from the librarians - if I liked X, what should I try next? What's a good book that fits this category? In my experience, librarians tend to love giving book recommendations. That's the one of the most fun parts of the job.
If your library doesn't have the book you want: many (depends where you live) libraries have some kind of interlibrary loan option - whether it's a multi-branch system and you're getting a book transferred from one branch to your local one, or an agreement between different libraries that allows patrons of one to borrow titles from another. You can also ask a librarian about how to request titles your library doesn't have; my library has bought a few I've asked for/recommended, once they knew there was demand for it (dependent on budget of course!).
Browsing shelves and judging books by their cover (i know, but let's be real, it works) is always a legitimate option for finding a new title. The same goes for browsing the library's website/app (or Overdrive, or Hoopla, etc). Shelf-skimming digitally means you can browse by subject headings, possibly themed lists librarians have put together (the Los Angeles Public Library always has great themed 'shelves' on their Overdrive site). The great thing about libraries: no guilt if you check out a book on a whim and wind up hating it. Just return it, no problem and no money lost!
Libraries are also (usually) a wonderful space just to sit and read, not just for checking out a book and going home. There are increasingly few true public spaces, at least around where I live, and public libraries are YOURS as a taxpayer- a public community space for you to spend time, sit and read and relax, use the internet, use other resources or tools (lots of libraries checking out things beyond books/movies/music these days - Makerspaces with things like 3D printers or sewing machines, seed libraries, check-out-able bicycles or snowshoes, museum passes - the kinds of things individuals may not be able to access or afford but might want occasionally). It's a place to be a part of your community, offering you information and entertainment as your civic right. I never get why more people don't take advantage of it.
Tl;dr, public libraries are the BEST.
I love my library! I never thought I would like e-books but now with Overdrive that's all I read! It's so wonderful to have my book not only on my mini Ipad but also on my Iphone - long line at the store? No problem! Just pull out my phone and pick up where I left off. I know that the popular books often have a wait for them so by doing this challenge I look ahead and see what ones I want to read and put in a request. While I wait I pick up another book off my wish list. They have audio and e-book versions of books.
I follow my local library's facebook page. Sometimes they have Pinterest craft nights to go to. This year we are playing "book bingo" where we turn in our bingo cards every quarter for prizes. I haven't ventured in to the book club that they offer but that's something that I want to look into in the future.
All in all, the best thing about this is you can do trial and error and its completely free.
I have to say that I absolutely love a good library. The first field trip I remember was going to the library in Kindergarten and getting my first library card. Unfortunately I didn't have parents who were big readers so I never made it to the public library often but I did have a school library. And then I got old enough to escort myself to one and that is how that demon was born. I like to think I come to the library for whatever good reasons people go for but the truth is I am too poor for the bookstore. The library is blissfully free unless you are late returning them. I, and also my 3 children, have library cards for our home county and for all the libraries in the next big city (we live out in the sticks). My library is a little slow on catching up to the digital era but they get all the new books as soon as they come out and that is all I care about. They have Overdrive as well but I like to touch and smell my books!
I use my library to screen books I want to read. I read them there first and buy them if I like them. Same with movies, because we dont have Netflix.
Update: I accessed The Handmaid's Take through my Amazon Prime membership FOR FREE, then read it on my Kindle while I waited for my new windshield to be installed. Not a library find, but still a free resource! I also checked out the library requirements for adjacent cities and found a couple nearby that I can join. Yay!
I absolutely love my library. It has saved me a fortune. I, like a lot of others, use overdrive a lot especially for audio books. You can get the app on your phone and listen to books in the car through Bluetooth. I would also recommend checking out the libraries catalogue online. My library posts lists of new books coming in so I usually check out the list and put a request in for any books I want in advance. Often I'm the first to request so get a brand new copy as soon as it's released.
I'm very lucky with my library. By talking to people online, I have discovered that my library is better than many in major metropolitan areas.We have a great on-line catalog system as well as the connection with Overdrive where I can check out Kindle or audiobooks (MP3).
Additionally, if I'm trying to find a copy of a book that is more expensive or hard to find, I can pay a nominal fee of $2 to request an interlibrary loan. Also, if the book I want is less than 5 years old, I can request it be purchased.
So, I have come to decide never to buy a Kindle book for over $5 and I also have a membership with Audible.com and I like to check the special weekly deals at Downpour.com.
I find my books online and get them from the library. Browsing tends to overwhelm me. I also got to the point where there is not enough space for new books, and I read a lot, so it would be expensive to buy them. Our local library is very good, I almost always find what I want, although popular titles have waiting lists. I have my Goodreads list and put items on hold as I feel that I am approaching them. As others said, it is good to be able to abandon a book I don't like and just return it.
Also, it is not really free. We pay taxes for it. Might as well use the service!
Mod
Nadine wrote: "Get on your library's website and find out what they have to offer. Mine loans out all kinds of things, including home radon kits, Nintendo DSs, and ukuleles! Find out their policy on inter-library..."The St Paul/Mpls libraries are part of what they call MELSA - (Metropolitan Library Service Agency) - an alliance of over 100 public libraries in the seven-county Twin Cities metro, So I have used my card in different counties, cities when my job moved and I would go where ever is closest. When I try to think, I have registered my card in 4 counties including the one I live in, and two cities (St. Paul & Stillwater are separate from the counties they are in)
Check the web site for events - free classes, book clubs, author talks, movies.
I've taken classes, heard really interesting talks by authors, watched movies all for free at the library!
Any tips and tricks? What do you/don't you like about the library and associated online resources?
TIA!