Checkouts of books, CDs, and DVDs are up 15 percent at the main library in Modesto, Calif. In Boulder, Colo., circulation of job-hunting materials is up 14 percent. Usage of the Newark Public Library in New Jersey is up 17 percent. Library card requests have increased 27 percent in the last half of 2008 in San Francisco. The Boise Public Library reported a 61 percent increase in new library cards in 2008. In Brantley County, Georgia, library computer usage was up 26 percent in the last quarter.
"Some have said their computer at home was all torn up," Brantley library manager Kathy Moody told the Florida Times-Union. "Others have said they don't have Internet service or they had to drop their service."
Thanks to the library, we've managed to go for about three years without buying a book. That's easily worth $2,000 that is still in our bank account. Since we're chronically forgetful, we also use LibraryThing, perhaps the most useful web utility ever created to track of what we've borrowed.
Not every library has as many easily-accessible volumes as those in the big cities, and even larger systems will be stressed by the new demand. Regardless, you should never to go to the bookstore without first visiting your local library.
The library - a recession sanctuary [The Boston Globe]
The Public Library Renaissance [Freakonomics]
PREVIOUSLY: 7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy
(Photo: Thomas Hawk)
But library staff members aren't allowed to ban or even speak to creeps and sickos unless they actually are caught doing something. People assume libraries are safe places, but because of what I know, I never would leave my kids unattended in the library, and they weren't allowed to use the restroom without me standing outside the door.
]]>I got a bit tired of the dirty or questioning looks I'd get for taking out cookbooks along with books about serial killers and chemical warfare. I wouldn't be shocked to hear the library account was on some kind of watch list. Really, it got old. Now I check out used book stores and occasionally order on Amazon.
]]>@Eyebrows McGee: So true. Being surrounded by my parents' childhood, YA, and college books while growing up made me curious about reading and interested in the challenge of literature outside of what most kids read - and now my parents have a house full of academic, engineering, and philosophy books - plus all my old stuff for exploring when I visit home. My mom and I had epic battles over whether or not I should read Tolstoy (her favorite) or my 'junk' (SF from my dad's study!) but it was definitely a house full of books.
]]>That's how it works our system here, though if you decide you don't want the book once it's arrived, you can always cancel it before the pickup date (approx. 2 weeks from arrival), and you won't get charged the $1.
]]>Last year I finally started cooking after I turned 23, mainly so that I can impress my bf. I used to buy some magazines for it, and look online. Then, I went to borders and found a great asian cookbook at their bargain books area for $6. I wanted more, wanted to learn new recipes, but the rest of the books are so expensive...so I decided to finally pay up the $35 in fines to my library, and now get access to hundresds of cookbooks that save me hundreds of dollars. I write down the recipes I like, and started my own recipe collection. Yay for saved money and space.
]]>@Thomas Romano: we even offer free passes to the museum of natural history and the art museums in NYC.
]]>I am a network tech at the huntington public library here on Long island. We have a ton of stuff. We have blu-rays to take out, dvds, You can read what you have taken out online. You can pay your fines online and can even recheck out books online.
We have free wifi in both branches (thanks to cablevision and our free conenctions from them) . If we dont have a book or dvd we will usually order it for you if you ask.
We even offer tax help for people 50 and over during tax season.
Libraries can save yo a lot of money and can offer you a lot of entertainent for free.
]]>engineering stacks were the best place to score at my university...
]]>check out books?
]]>Now imagine that, but apply the same level of destruction to every component, monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, and the guts of the machine. Not a sledgehammer, but actively opening the machine, and just pulling off chips and wires.
That is torn up.
@MightyDwarf56: That is just salvaging.
]]>From Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia:
"The Free Library will take significant budget cuts that include the permanent shuttering of 20% of its buildings or 11 branches; 71 layoffs and a $1.6 million reduction to the materials (books, tapes, DVDs, periodicals, graphic novels, etc.) budget that has not been increased in 8 years. These library buildings, some of which were built with funds from Andrew Carnegie will revert back to the public properties division to be sold."
The video below makes it pretty clear that this is an issue nationwide.
]]>But it's sorely lacking in two things that I liked about other library systems: borrowing movies and music. I don't expect the newest ones, but I would love a variety of the classics or old ones. I THINK they're starting to stock movies (in the way of documentaries and educational stuff). But I would love some popular stuff too.
My previous library system had DVDs available to rent for 7 days. Some of them charged $1 for it. I didn't mind. My college library had a few CDs available for borrowing (I borrowed and burned some classical and Broadway stuff). That was good too.
]]>I'm betting it's a just generational thing but I am just the opposite of you. I can re-read a good book many times but re-playing a video game is about as boring as it gets. Even the ones with achievements and hidden stuff cant keep my interest for more than 2 times through.
On the other hand, counterstrike, played against live opponents has had me for years., (Oh, 47)
Sigh.
Wouldn't it be nice if libraries were funded more as their use went up? It's actually a great investment for a community, at least based on the RoIs I've seen.
]]>when I was a kid and we were taking a standardized test, they told us, "One of the demographic questions will be how many books your family has in your house, so make sure you know that for tomorrow." This sent me into a tizzy because counting in just my bedroom I had 300+ ... and I had two younger siblings (at the time) each with just as many, and there were bookshelves in almost every room ....
Only to discover the next day that the choices for the question were "less than 25" "25-50" and "more than 50."
Even as a kid I thought, There is something very wrong here. I mean, just with dictionaries and cookbooks and family Bibles and random Dr. Seuss and things like that you'd think you could get to 25. And now as an adult working with different families, I see the kinds of households that have children and less than 25 books, and they're typically the ones with a zillion other risk factors too. This comic made me think of it: [wondermark.com]
]]>not a waste of resources, rather a proper pooling of resources :)
]]>I usually get shelving and sorting jobs, which means I'm close to the books... which means lots of browsing time and a chance to note down what I might be interested in. The work is remarkably easy; though, I'm a book geek and libraries are just such comforting places to me.
]]>I buy my books from BetterWorldBooks.com. It's about $3.99 per book with free shipping. I love that site.
The reason I don't use my local library is that I love having a huge book collection; and I often read books more than once. Also, I tend to write in my books, and the libraries frown upon that sort of thing.
]]>WOW, going to the library when times are tough! What a 'novel' idea!
]]>Free public libraries are a relatively American (& Canadian) thing, partly thanks go the early ideas of folks like Jefferson and largely thanks to Andrew Carnegie leaving enormous quantities of his fortune to build theme every darn where in the US.
]]>bf says if libraries had coffee shops in them, they would be more popular. starbucks tie-in?
]]>It's your library, you have a right to complain and voice your opinion. Write the director or attend a board meeting.
]]>And I can make 50 interlibrary loan requests, a month. Hot, damn.
]]>But our libraries have plenty of those pink romance novels and homeless people sleeping all over the place. So were just working on our own private library.
]]>Here's a page about our library, with a photo of the inside. Sometimes I go there just to look. It's beautiful architecture.
]]>My sister works for a small rural library which has a computer lab, DVDs, CDs, and a large number of books because the area it services is so poor that it has high patronage numbers. They also offer classes to gain various skills (computer use, knitting, etc.), kids programs, and free snacks during special events (all prepared and taught by library staff). However, funding has been cut repeatedly for libraries as legislators feel that they are no as necessary in the age of the Internet so they have to raise money on their own by selling donated items or creating special merchandise to sell (CDs and DVDs about local history, tote bags with the library's name).
People keep saying you should use the library because you pay for it, but the truth is that you don't pay much at all for your libraries. Libraries have to raise funds from private sources and the taxes people pay for their local libraries is a pittance for the amount of service. Each state is different, but in Pennsylvania, it's about $6 per person per year. That's less than the cost of one book.
]]>@SadSam:
We've got the homeless too, but since its Fla. they use the library for the bathroom and the A/C.
]]>Can you please explain further why you feel that way?
]]>Perhaps libraries could start marketing themselves better by saying "hey - why don't you use this thing you're paying for?"
]]>That'll make moving easier...
]]>Now that I'm in Baltimore County, MD, I've been to the library - which is about 2 blocks away - once. They don't have any of the books I'm looking for, and reserving books online costs $1. Calling in and reserving is free. WTF?
So instead, I buy my books used off half.com. If it's something new that I really want, I'll spring for it from Amazon, usually with certificates from turning in my change at Coinstar.
]]>Also, if you have a big university nearby, often they will let community members check out books for a low per-year fee.
]]>@Justifan: Actually lots of libraries started their movie libraries with donations from patrons. Tired of that extra copy of "American Pie"? Donate it.
]]>@delicatedisarray: I loved working at my university library! I worked in the Education Library (we used the easy-as-pie Dewey Decimal System to reflect public school libraries, rather than the Library of Congress system!) where we had picture books, young adult fiction, extra copies of K-12 textbooks and the teacher's guides, textbooks on teaching and then all these really cool teaching kits, like science experiments, replicas of ancient artifacts and posters. It was the best student job ever!
]]>It's nice browsing amazon's recommendations for new stuff to read, looking it up in the library and two days later getting it from the local library even though it was actually 45 minutes downstate originally.
]]>BTW, the taxes in Long Island are insane.
]]>@parad0x360: That's assuming you live in an English-speaking country! When I've lived abroad I've heard rumours of libraries, but I never actually met anyone who had been to one! Really! Not one single person. Sometimes I would walk past buildings that had "BIBLIOTECA" signs or something, but they would be behind big locked fences. Or it could be that you live in a place where libraries are open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, or something, while you're at work. I spent thousands of dollars on books when I lived in Italy because I couldn't figure out the library system. In Mexico the university I taught at had a library, but they only had about a hundred fiction titles in total, of which five or six were English. Here at my lovely Canadian library we have books in every language you could imagine. I signed out some Uzbek (Uzbeki?) books to use in class with one my immigrant students, and I regularly sign out fiction titles in Italian, Spanish and French. Never forget how good you have it to live in a place with a superb public library system! It's not just developing or third-world countries with crappy libraries!
]]>Our library system is wonderful and I go every week. They have the newest releases, almost every season of the latest television shows, and even video games now. So many people think of just books when they think of libraries, but they are so much more now. In the San Diego county system, you can even browse the database online and reserve items and they will have them ready at the branch of your choice when it's your turn.
]]><--another librarian
]]>To brag, best job ever. I haven't bought many books since starting back in August. I work in the main library on campus and we are having our 4 millionth volume celebration this year. There are three other circulating libraries and then a special collections library. If I can't find what I want in all that we have a great interlibrary loan department and I've never been turned down when I make a purchase recommendation.
People are defiantly taking advantage of everything libraries have to offer now.
]]>I've been using my local library for a couple of years after I realized how much I was spending on books. My library has a good selection of books, DVDs, CDs and books on tape.
]]>Good luck :D
]]>As long as they aren't coming in my shop for ideas, then going home to order online. That's shoplifting - I spent a lot of money and time to get those books in, and to take advantage of my selections without supporting my shop means I can't pay my rent or payroll.
A local, community bookstore is worth the extra few dollars to everyone - my customers get free delivery and personalized selections, fun and cultural events (for free) and a place to meet new people. Same with the library.
]]>I buy a lot of books at the flea market or used bookstores, too. That way if I absolutely must own it, at least it's not full price. Only some authors will I buy new, including Stephen King and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I'm addicted to the latters' Pendergast series!
This year, I ran out of money for Christmas presents and I gave my brother a brand new copy of a new Stephen King that I had bought (I can't stand to wait for paperbacks with him!). I can get another copy for myself at the flea market for a couple of bucks in a few months or so.
]]>Tell me about it. I have so many books that moving is always a nightmare. I try to cull them once a year or so, but I'm ridiculously, pack-ratty attached to them so it's hard.
]]>Some years ago, I read an article (AP, I think) about libraries. They said that only 15 percent of the U.S. population uses the library on a regular basis. I thought that was shocking enough, but then I read how they defined "regular basis" - twice a year or more. As someone who has visited the library once or twice a week since I was a child, I can't understand life without a library. I'm thankful to my mom for taking me as often as I wanted to go!
I've never been able to understand why people would rather buy books that they're going to read only one time. The only books I buy are those that I want to keep and read again some day, or loan out to friends, or occasionally I buy a book that the library doesn't have but that I'm relatively sure I will like.
]]>Also..
When I was in Middle School (6th-8th grade) the library was a great place for a weekday "date". So many uses.
]]>Remember that many colleges and universities allow townies to get a library card (often for a nominal fee, $25ish a year, if you're not affiliated with the university, but $25 for access to a huge library is a bargain if you're otherwise a big book buyer). And in many states, the state university library system is automatically open to taxpayers for free, though again you must get a card and typically your borrowing privileges are shorter so the books are available for students and professors.
Many public libraries these days are linked into interlibrary loan systems that include university systems, so that's useful too.
]]>My problem with libraries is they don't have the books I need -- I need the kind of specialized philosophical and technical books a normal library doesn't have. Maybe a big college somewhere.
]]>Our library also has free DVD rentals and they get pretty much everything you would ever want to see plus even those lesser known movies. If they have DVD's that I want to watch then that is really something!
They also have a huge selection of Manga, Comics and some libraries in our district even rent out Video games (for PS2 at least) and you can request for them to be sent to your own library.
]]>