Two weeks ago to cap out the old year, I got a library card.
I have not had a library card in something like 12 years - which is an odd exception, as for the bulk of my life I have always had one for whatever local library I belonged to; as I have related in the past, for many years the biweekly library visit was the highlight of my childhood week.
That all changed in 2013 when, as part of the purchase of our house in New Home, we moved from one county to another. Even though the library we had always gone to was still the closest one, we were unable to continue our library services there because we were now "out of county" and as such, no longer considered "free" users of the library (we could join for $100 a year). And so the library lapsed, at least for me.
We did have a smaller community (read "Home Owner's Association") library that I could have joined, but for some reason it never took with me - also, I certainly had enough materials to read at home. The Ravishing Mrs. TB joined though, and over the years borrowed and listened to many a book.
With our move to New Home 2.0, the closeness of the library (a little over 1 mile away), and the fact that this year is going to be a little lean financially, it seemed like a good time to do so again. Especially because - thanks to being a county resident - it is "free" (free in the sense my rent pays the property taxes of my landlord that help fund it).
When I was growing up, inter-library loans were not much of thing: what you had in the library is what you had. That is no longer the case, judging from what was arguably less of a collection of books than the library I belonged to as a child (eyeballing it, of course). That said, interlibrary loans are no much more of a thing. Add to that an app (Libbyapp.com) that allows you not only to do things like reserve. request, and extend expiration dates, but actually check out the electronic books to your phone or electronic device - and suddenly the dearth of physical books is not quite the difficulty I thought it would be.
(The electronic books are both audio and a reader on your app. I struggle with audio books, really only being able to focus on one thing at a time. The app for my phone, however, is much better than I had anticipated and I can actually read on it).
My list of "Books I would like to buy" on Thriftbooks has now become the basis of a reading list: if the book is at the library, I will start there. If it is not, then I get to ask the question "Do I really want it?"
It is not that I expect my reading to decrease significantly because I am borrowing instead of buying (the final count was 116 books in 2024). But the variety of books I have access to has expanded greatly.
Who knows what kind of (intellectual) trouble I can get myself into now.
I have a library card though in the last 20 years, the only time I have used it is if my children forgot to bring theirs and were wanting to check out books. Libraries are just not geared for people like me I guess, at least ones out here in rural America. Half the libraries have been demolished and turned into computer cafes. The remaining half is 95% fictional selections composed mostly of westerns and romance. Among the 5% of the half that is comprised of nonfiction books, the bulk of those are either reference, self help or the biography of 20+ year old pop stars that thinks their life is interesting. The one shelf of books in my genre, are old, dusty and the new ones have 6 month waiting times for checking out.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I would benefit from audio books or e books but like you, I have a hard time focusing on audio books unless I am sitting twiddling my thumbs and in that case, I prefer a tactile reading device. E-books are a lot better but I hate being tethered to battery cycles and dislike not being able to flip back through the pages to look at some picture or map as reference.
Fortunately, I have people who love me that give me gift cards that are enough to keep me in books for some of the year. The rest I fund by purchasing used books for a $1 at the local book sale and they mostly are comprised of older books that I missed when they were newer but had heard great reviews about.
Ed, One of my big struggles as well with libraries is the fact that they do not have a lot of what I read either. I can certainly understand the challenge of smaller libraries and computer cafes (even my new library has a lot of that). And even with some of the books I decided through my first loan I would like to read all have 4-12 week wait times. So at best it is a supplement for books that strike my fancy or have a passing interest in but not books that I think I will really want to have to read and re-read (yes, I am a great fan of knowing where things are in physical books as well).
DeleteI'm a weekly visitor at our library, so it would be sad indeed to move out of a library service area. Moving into the digital age makes so many more resources available, although I don't borrow many eBooks (no device but I can read them on my computer. Just not keen on reading from a screen.) I recently learned that we can watch movies at home through our library.
ReplyDeleteSo, another blessing from the move, eh TB? What would the world be like without books?
Leigh, I do like reading things on a computer screen either and thus I have not really gotten into e-books. I have to admit the app through the phone actually worked surprisingly well, although I do not know that I would do it all the time.
DeleteIndeed another blessing and unlooked for.
And sadly, I think we know what the world would be like without books. It is a combination of modern society and social media.
One advantage of living in a first ring suburb is the library system of the county, got that card when I moved into my home back last century....oooohhh.....Laaaaassst Ceeeentury...time flies. There are two locations about equidistant from me although one is smaller with less open hours but a good selection nonetheless. Yet it's not quite the same sensation as walking through the doors of the Carnegie Library back in my home town when I was in elementary school. Buying books sure fills up the bookshelf space fast though. Can't beat the sensation of holding a book to read, any other method, E book and app pales for me.
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - Heh heh. I love being able to use the phrases "Back in the last century...." and "Back in ought8..." The younglings will never have that.
DeleteI have to admit the sensation you give is correct - entering this library was not at all entering the library of Old Home (also, originally, a Carnegie Library). This one seems like, to Ed's point, a combination of computer cafe and some books, although the adult shelves have far more space than books on them.
I am almost at max space at the apartment and will likely have to be "selective" if and until we find a home. And yes, there is nothing like holding a book to read. Nothing in the world.
a certain big box store has used books that cost $8- 10 with postage, you have to look for it but its there, e.e.
ReplyDeletee.e., I am a great lover (and frequenter) of used books stores both online and brick (Thriftbooks.com is one of my favorites). That said, I am finding myself in the position of having a bit of a space issue and needing to be a bit more selective about what I "keep".
DeleteFunny you should mention Library cards TB, for I obtained one just before Yule, probably over twenty years since I last used a library. Then yesterday I actually used it for the first time...An Alexander Kent fiction of sea warfare set in Napoleonic times, A classic book of One hundred ghost stories and a book upon the history of Vikings in Britain. Though gawd knows when I'll have time to read em
ReplyDeleteJohn, we are obviously on some kind of mental same wavelength. Sounds like quite a variety of choices for you.
DeleteYes, finding the time is a thing. But not reading, at least for me, is more of a thing.