So I've been seeing a decent amount of posts from librarians in here. I read a crazy amount, but today, I finally went out and got a library card for the first time in decades, so thank you for the gentle nudge!
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The other day I went to the library and checked out an old copy of The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck. It pages were yellowed and thick, but could hardly but it down. I like to buy books but free is good too.
Don't forget to download the app your library uses to read e-books and listen to audiobooks, too! You can typically keep track of your account, including setting holds and whatnot.
Many use the Libby app, but there are others. Make sure to ask your local librarian! 😁
Libby is what most libraries use. Hoopla is great for audiobooks (5 downloads a month). Flipster is great for magazines. Creativebug free art and craft video with your library card
Welcome! My family uses a service from our library literally every day. Check if yours offers Kanopy. I've watched untold number of Great Courses there. Currently on one on linguistics and one on medical misinformation.
I use Cloud Library, from my local public library. I've read the eBook of Bluest Eye, and On Tyranny, plus audio and ebooks of many others. It works on Android phones and tablets, likely on Apple products too.
When I was in primary school my teacher said , "I want you to go and join the Library". It was a two mile walk and when I arrived I was aware of the total silence and in awe of the Librarian who's exalted domain I had entered. Now here I am aged eighty eight and still a member. Thanks Mrs Martin.
The local the library adds up the value of the books you check out the printout when you get a book. Saved over a thousand dollars this year thanks to them.
I got a library card a month ago. I use Libby to check out and listen to books. I’ve read 6 so far. Yes. Listening is reading. Especially with vision problems so don’t @ me.
I did the same this year. Been getting a surprising amount of use out of it. It's like every time I hear about a new book I might be interested in it's either in the library or it's not out yet and I request they get it. Before this I would usually just forget the title and never read it.
You won't regret it! Enjoy. I've always been a reader, and I am a former reference librarian. I read mostly library books, and many now on Kindle. I don't love Kindle, but I may need a new device. In Minneapolis, we have access to many e-books through Melsa.Overdrive. Check it out!
Yes! Go get yours, Carol - most libraries have so much more to offer than people realize. Like we have a notary and video streaming with Kanopy and audio books and a community garden and smores night in the garden and - ❤️
I can't. I tried. Twice. I can't return books. They are my books now. I paid the fine and for the replacement and decided I just can't return a book. When a friend borrows me one I return a new replacement. It's in my house. It's my book now.
I both read and listen to books from the library and grateful, as I get through 4-6 picks a week. The one challenge is getting to read an authors series in order, if many others are as well. Just keep a list and check them off as you read. Enjoy!
📚Many libraries offer more than just books. Some have seed banks for gardeners, tool lending programs, and even National Park day passes available for borrowing.
I often go to our public library, not just for books to borrow but also for used books from the Friends bookstore. I also bought a DVD player for $6 at a resale store, and watched "The Crown" with DVDs borrowed from the library. My tax dollars at work.
Yessss! I love all the Library Love on Bluesky so much. Here is a great video on all that can be done with a library card nowadays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHU8p-ciXtk
My local library is a little on the small side. But they are part of a larger group so there is access to many more. If you go digital you can draw on the entire state. My one library card is 10 library groups in Libby. There is also Kanopy for films but it’s not on my tv so don’t use it.
I live in New York City, and have a card for each of our three library systems: Queens, Brooklyn, and New York (Manhattan/Bronx). Often, for reasons I cannot guess, a book I am interested in is not available from the Queens system, where I live. So I order it from another!
When I wanted to read a novel by the mystery writer Elizabeth Daly, I had to reserve it from the research collection of the NYPL on Fifth Avenue. I sat there for two days, enjoying it. (Yes, they kept it aside for me, and did not re-shelve it until I was finished...)
And if you are in Detroit, the library is great there! I have library cards active in 3 cities right now because their digital collections are different. I’ve had a card in every town I’ve lived in, so keep yours active to help keep funding alive for your library!
Yes! And if you use Libby, you can load all of the cards into it and switch between them super easily! If one of the libraries has a faster wait time it’ll suggest that library for you. Makes my life so much easier!
Libraries change lives! I now listen to most of my books (I speed the reader up to 1.35 as normal speed is a bit slow for me)
Find book recommendations from those amazing and poorly paid but hard working none the less librarians!
Your perspective on issues changes. Or solidifies. But you learn!
I spent a long time away from the library until I got an iPad and downloaded the app for the Public Library. I know a lot of people prefer the paper book in their hands, but this works for me. I knocked out 3 books on the beach this summer! Happy Reading!
Public libraries are wonderful for many reasons. But they would be better if they still practiced intellectual diversity & political neutrality, which many no longer do. The first is the core of their mission & the second their democratic responsibility. But they've been ideologically captured.
I always get a new one when I relocate. I even got one when I briefly had a vacation home. The BPL literally saved this poor girl from a troubled home.
Yet Another Librarian here...hope you enjoy everything your local branches have to offer! I'm not sure what audiobooks your system has but Chirp might be a good secondary option. Their app is free and many of their books are crazy cheap. On Fridays they even offer some books for free! 💛
Welcome to the club! I always get a library card when I move to a new community. I currently have 3! I’m rich, rich in access to books and stuff! Rich I tell you!
You know that your library card gives you immense access to online resources as well as physical books, cd's, dvd's etc. You now have access to many libraries in the university system. Congratulations! (I'm not a librarian but I have spent a lot of time then.)
UK librarian here, thank you, and I hope you'll keep us posted on how you find your journey.
I can only speak for myself but I think as a profession we have a problem with us on the inside knowing what an important resource we manage, but struggling to make others know that it's all for everyone.
European city libraries are on another level - Cinema/theatre integration. Full workspaces and ability to rent a private room. €3.5 for a large bowl of fries in the cafe which also do cheap coffee. Never going to be discovered by Instagram because you can’t shout like a child while filming.
SE Michigan Librarian Assistant here. Ask your librarian about Libby and adding all the co-ops. Feel free to DM me if you have questions! Congrats on your new card!
You probably would still find books there telling you that turtles are parareptiles even though we have known that they are derived diapsids for nearly 10 years now
we moved from the city to a rural area a couple of years back, and the library here plays such an important role in this small community, much more than just books, for some people it's the only place they can go to get internet, access to computers and printing, photocopy, all kinds of things!
My county’s libraries won’t allow me to have a library card without deadnaming myself 😡 Library access is often a trans rights issue - and it doesn’t have to be.
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Many use the Libby app, but there are others. Make sure to ask your local librarian! 😁
They have Grab & Go recommendations from staff. Always a good option.
Check with your local library.
Find your library’s catalog on their website and see what they offer in the way of audiobooks
Find book recommendations from those amazing and poorly paid but hard working none the less librarians!
Your perspective on issues changes. Or solidifies. But you learn!
Grateful 🙏🏻
I can only speak for myself but I think as a profession we have a problem with us on the inside knowing what an important resource we manage, but struggling to make others know that it's all for everyone.
or webpage. If you sign in with your library card you can get free newspapers and glossy magazines.
Pure magic.