Let’s Discuss – Why I LOVE my library!

Posted February 14, 2015 by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction in Let's Discuss / 52 Comments

Minneapolis Public Library-2007-02-20

I have never really realized until recently how lucky I am to have access to such an amazing library. I’ve seen posts about the library systems in other places and I’ve been horrified. There are places where you have to pay for your library? Pay to put a book on hold? Pay for inter-library loan?

I’m SO spoiled!!  My library is like a bookish heaven, and I’m really thankful for it. First of all, it has a really fantastic selection. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’ve seen bigger libraries, and fancier ones. But my library has most of the books that I want. And if it doesn’t have a book that has been published within the past year, I can put in a purchase request – the majority of the time the library has purchased the books I’ve suggested.

I can easily put books on hold (from my laptop, while sitting on my couch). Oh, and then when I want to pick my books up? Well, the library’s only five minutes away, and there’s a drive-through pick-up window. Seriously, you could not get any more convenient.

And if I can’t find a book I want? Well, then there’s inter-library loan. I am lucky to live in the Chicagoland area and my library is connected to quite a few other suburban libraries. Almost always, if my library doesn’t have a book, I can get it from another library – it will typically be waiting for me within a week.

Now, of course, I pay taxes, but I don’t have to pay any other fees for my library (well, except late fees, but … that’s my own darn fault … and even those are really reasonable).

Oh, plus, the library offers ebooks and audiobooks (though I really have only used those a couple of times). They also occasionally do author events. And don’t even get me started on how awesome it is to have so many thousands of kids’ books at our disposal – thankfully, my kids love to read as much as I do! (I’ve taught them well!)

So, I just want to give a big thank you to my public library. I’ve taken you for granted for way too long!

How about you? Do you use your public library? Is yours as awesome as mine?

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52 responses to “Let’s Discuss – Why I LOVE my library!

  1. I’ve always been pretty lucky with my libraries as well. I have always been able to put books on hold via a library website. I’ve never had troubles getting a book I wanted because of inter-library loan. But I’ve never seen a library with a drive-through pick up! That would be awesome!

    Jordin @ A Bottomless Book Bag recently posted: Happy Valentine’s Day!
  2. I’m jealous of your library!! The libraries around me are horrible!! They barely have any books to even choose from and most of the time they are checked out for months and you never get to get your hands on them. I learned to give up trying because I was never able to read anything from there. I am hoping I can eventually move somewhere that has a library like yours! It sounds great!!!

    Amber H. recently posted: Review -- Fifty Shades Darker
    • Yikes!! Now, I do occasionally have to wait for new titles – if I don’t get my name on the hold list early, it can take a while to get a book. But, usually the library gets multiple cpies of books that they know are going to be popular, so it really hasn’t been all that bad. Oh, and I should have mentioned that you usually can’t get newly released books from inter-library loan (there’s usually a waiting period before libraries will send them out). Still, I think I’m pretty darn lucky! Now you know what to look for when you move (because, of course, the library is the most important factor. LOL!).

  3. Sue G.

    I love our public library! I’m in the Cleveland, OH area and I know our system has won awards even! We just had a brand new branch built in my city 2 years ago. We can order books and/or ebooks from our computer at home too. I grew up where my mom took us once a week to the library. Highlight of the week!

    • Yes, I love taking my kids to the library!! I had just always assumed that all libraries were like ours – and then I started reading people talking about their own libraries and I suddenly realized how lucky I am!

  4. My library isn’t as awesome as yours is. I miss the library I lived near when I lived in Indiana. THAT library was awesome! My current library is neat-looking, it was built in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s. And it’s big. But since I’m on an island, it’s harder to get access to newly published books. They tend to cater to what tourists would want to borrow, and kids.

    I can sometimes find good stuff there, but it’s really hit and miss.

    Silvara recently posted: Books For Valentines Day?
  5. I have a few libraries in my basic area and I really DO love them. I used to volunteer at one and I work at another, so I’m always finding new books that I want to read. I used to visit the library all the time as a kid and then not so much when I was older, until I started working at the library. I still read all the time, but I guess I read mostly things I bought or were given. The library is SO handy on catching up on series these days though, so I don’t have to buy alllll the books!

    ShootingStarsMag recently posted: Touring Local: January
    • Yes – libraries are the best for series. My daughter absolutely adores the Warriors series by Erin Hunter, and there are like 30 books already! I’ve always thought that working in a library or a book store would be an ideal job!

  6. Amanda D

    We have a drive thru as well and I love it. Before I started volunteering there, I used it all the time. Now I am in weekly so I get my holds or snatch up the brand new 3 day loan movies (love that perk!) when I am there. They also have new books that cannot be put on hold in the “what’s hot” section so you have the chance of getting a newer book without the wait. We are connected with a large city library system so I can get most of the books I want either. They have a large selection of hardcopy, ebook and audio. They also have a lot of programs for kids, adult computer classes and other various classes. I took an intro to knitting class there.

    • Ooooh! I need to start volunteering at my library!! Who knew there were so many perks? 🙂

      Yes – I forgot to mention all of the classes and programs that the library runs. It really is amazing!

  7. Joycedale

    Our library sounds the same expect we don’t have a drive thru (so jealous right now) and the author events we do have are local authors and its usually books on The Ozarks history and etc. I love that mine is so close too. Less than 5 mins by car and about 20 when walking.

  8. That’s so cool that your library has a drive through window! I’ve been fortunate to have pretty awesome libraries (but not as cool as yours).

    Growing up, I lived about 10 minutes from the biggest library in the county, so I got the largest selections of books/movies. The library I live near now is pretty small, but it does inter library loan (which is free), so I have a pretty good selection of books available.

    It’s funny how much we take our libraries for granted sometimes. I’d never really thought about it before.

    Ardelia recently posted: Are You Suffering From Plot Shock?
    • Yes, I had never really considered it until I read a few posts from people who were talking about how they had to pay for random services that my library features for free – or how their libraries barely have any books. It made me realize how lucky I am!

  9. You have a drive-thru window?? What?! Okay that is pretty cool! My library is pretty awesome too! I can also put books on hold from my own computer but I don’t even have to go to the library to check them out, they mail them to me, for free!! How awesome is that?! And, even though I’ve had stuff overdue for weeks-sometimes months, they for some reason don’t charge a fee. I don’t know what is up with that, but I ain’t complaining 😉 Sooo yeah, I do love my library even though I don’t visit it physically much 🙂

    Liliana @ Lili Lost in a Book recently posted: Bookish Discussion: Top Authors I Own the Most Books From
    • Wow! Your library sounds even more amazing than mine – they mail your books to you for free? That’s insane! And no fees? Though, I have to confess that no fees would probably just encourage me to keep turning things in late. I’m bad enough about it with fees! LOL!

  10. I never heard of a drive through in a library! Now I would love that! I do have an awesome library. They did a remodel not that long ago and the new layout is like heaven. They have a WHOLE floor dedicated to the books that I usually read. Everything is perfectly organized, so I can find what I want quick. And if the book I want isn’t there, I just have to request it and it’ll come from another library. Or they will order it if needed.

    My favorite part is that I can take out as many books as I want! Just this week I checked out a stack of books. There are a few libraries in my state that only allow you to take a certain amount of books/movies at a time. But mine is very lax on it. They also give you a huge amount of time to read them before its due. I really have an amazing library, and its only two streets down from me (:

    • Yes, I think our library technically has a limit on the number of books you can check out, but it’s something like a hundred books – I can live with that. Oh, and I can keep the books for three weeks and renew twice, as long as no one else has a hold on them (so, I have nine weeks to read most books!).

    • We’ve tried studios in the past, but they used to have an antiquated system and it was more of a pain than it was worth. But now I’m pretty sure they use Overdrive, so I should try again.

  11. My local library is the one I used growing up, and now I’m stuck with just the digital library because my university is on the other end of the state. The digital library is awesome though, and has almost all the books I want to read in ebook or audiobook form. If for some reason the e-library doesn’t have a book, I’ve been pretty successful with finding it at my university library or having the university purchase it. I’ve had the university purchase Words of Radiance, the Rogues Anthology, and a couple of others 😀

    Kritika recently posted: Review: Ready Player One
    • My two older kids are avid readers. My youngest has some special needs and has just started reading, but hopefully he’ll be bitten by the bug soon too!

  12. My library is… laughable at best. The entirety of the “young adult” section is one shelf. It is smaller than my own bookshelf at home. It’s depressing. There are some others in the area that are a little better, but not much. Usually if it was published anytime after 1997, you could probably forget it being available. But, I am not usually a fan of borrowing books anyway, because I don’t want to give them back! I would like a nicer place to take the kids though. It is very lucky that you have access to such a nice place 🙂

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  13. Aw, you just reminded me of my library now. The library is a bit far from me now – I haven’t actually been there in a couple of years since it’s no longer at walking distance for me. I usually just checkout library books online in ebook formats and I can place holds there and have it delivered directly to my kindle 🙂 It’s a pretty unique thing they have created! Much easier than actually going out now since my library is far now. Glad you like yours! Wish mine was closer .. :/

    Benish K recently posted: Valentines's Day ♥ Uncross The Stars
  14. I’m a fan of my library too! It’s part of the Singapore National Library Libraries. There’s a huge collection of books and they are all in pretty good condition. I can put in purchase request for books that the library does not have. I can borrow a book up to a maximum period of 6 weeks. I can borrow only a maximum of 6 books. If I want to borrow more, I’ve gotta pay.
    But I have to pay SGD 1.55 per book for a book I reserve and I must collect the book within 7 days once it’s assigned to me.
    I think my library is not too bad and I really enjoy what I have.

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  15. Karen G.

    Yay! It is so great that your library offers so much, it sound like my library. I love going on line, choosing a book, if it is not at my library, which many times it is not because we live in a small community and there are much larger libraries in our county, they will send it over from another library then call me when it is there! (wow that was a long sentence! lol) There are also many classes offered, guest author events, and fun stuff like Death by Chocolate competitions. I love my library! =D

  16. My library does everything you mentioned and I’ve actually got access to 3 libraries total in one stop! 🙂 The three surrounding communities in our area have a network so we’ve got interlibrary loan plus they team together to host events. My library has done parties for adults after hours! They have food, music, alcohol and prizes!

    Terri M., the Director
    Second Run Reviews

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  17. I’m still adjusting to the fact that after having access to large multi-library systems for years, I moved to a small town with one of those adorable but tiny libraries that doesn’t have many more books than I do. I’ve paid $50 a year to join a larger library nearby — still not the huge system I was used to, but they have a pretty decent collection and have been great about interlibrary loan and even purchasing books I recommended. I love that I can pick out all the books I want online and they’ll have them ready for me when i get there. I’ve also become addicted to downloading e-books since for those I don’t even to go out into the snow and cold. Hooray for libraries!

    Lory @ Emerald City Book Review recently posted: Hidden Treasure: Shadows on the Rock
  18. I don’t use my local library enough. It’s only a small one but there is a huge one a couple of towns away and they’re linked so I can use my card at both. We can put books on hold via the website too. I’m not sure if there are any charges though except if you’re late returning a book but I’ve never had that issue.

  19. In the town where I live a library membership is luckily free if you are enrolled at the university (which I am). Since it’s a bigger city than where I grew up in the library is a lot bigger and has a lot more books. I do wish they had English young adult books though, because the Dutch translations are sadly enough horrible.

  20. I am a library fiend lately! I don’t borrow print books, choosing to stick with books and audio because I just don’t like thinking about how many other people have handled that book. I know I am weird and a bit of a germophobe. Because of my need for a big catalog I have a library card at three different libraries. The last time I was in San Francisco (almost 2 hours away) I got a library card there because I knew they would have a better selection then my city library, which both are pretty decent tho with a lot of overlap. So yes thank goodness for libraries!!

    • That’s interesting that you could get a San Fran card even though you don’t live there. I would never think to do that. I wonder if I could get a Chicago card. Hmmm …

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