Libraries

Ever been to a library? No? Maybe? Only when you had to?

Libraries are great! Any book lover should get a library card.

Did you know there’s a negative association with people who frequent libraries? Yeah, people assume that they’re freeloaders, mooching off the WiFi or taking up space because they can’t afford their own. But guess what? That’s what libraries are for. They were made to be places were people could go and spend time reading, studying, or checking email. They are communal locations. Some even have cafes in them.

And yet some people put ‘going to the library’ in the same boat as ‘buying things from a Goodwill’. It’s trashy to get free instead of paying for it – wait, what? Who in the world came up with that idea?

Consumerism, that’s who. They want you to buy you’re own internet and books and other such things; it means more money for them.

Your tax dollars are going toward the library anyway – you’re helping pay their bills. Might as well go and partake in that which you partially pay for.

Did I mention the books? Every library, no matter how big/small, has books. There’s also these super cool systems where libraries share with each other – for example, if my library doesn’t have a book I want, but the library a few towns over does, I can still borrow it through my library. I can browse and search through all the books in the entire system, which includes every single library’s collection within that system. We’re talking millions of books. Old, new, classic, nonfiction, fiction – more books than I could ever read.

It’s also great on the wallet. I don’t make a lot. Those shiny $20+ price tags on pretty hardcover books are out of my price range, unless I really want it. Even the 10ish dollar books add up.

Libraries are also great places to meet other book lovers, start a book club – and if you’re a writer as well, it’s a great place to see what’s out there. When I was needing to write a summary for the back of Devil’s Blood, I went down the fiction shelves and read the backs of other books. What did they say about the plot? How did it hint but not reveal? What pulled me into the ones I liked?

Conclusion – go get cozy with your local library! And don’t be snooty about it.