Use of the Library
I obviously read a lot of books. I cannot afford, and don't want to own, every book I read. Some books I truly love and will read many times, and those books I enjoy owning.
Therefore I use the public library - a lot. I am lucky in that my own local library is part of a good system. I can search and reserve books online - I can see what I have checked out and what I am waiting on.
When I was younger I would spend hours wandering around the library looking at different books, trying to decide what to read. Now I spend time finding out about books on the internet and then reserve them at the library over the internet. I walk in the door and my books are ready to go!
Sometimes, the order I read books in is determined by the library - if I am on the waiting list for a popular book and my turn comes up, I only have ten days to read it after I pick it up. So that book moves to the top of the list, even if I am in the middle of another series.
Therefore I use the public library - a lot. I am lucky in that my own local library is part of a good system. I can search and reserve books online - I can see what I have checked out and what I am waiting on.
When I was younger I would spend hours wandering around the library looking at different books, trying to decide what to read. Now I spend time finding out about books on the internet and then reserve them at the library over the internet. I walk in the door and my books are ready to go!
Sometimes, the order I read books in is determined by the library - if I am on the waiting list for a popular book and my turn comes up, I only have ten days to read it after I pick it up. So that book moves to the top of the list, even if I am in the middle of another series.
posted by John Ringer at
9:12 AM
2 Comments:
I enjoy just wandering through the library and picking up whatever catches my eye. I've found lots of good stuff out of my comfort zone this way. Plus if you hate it and walk away after a few chapters the time and effort lost is minimal - unlike if you wait for something on the reserve list for months and then it sucks. More and more though, I find myself directed to books and authors through stuff I read on the internet. Interesting that I have time to sit in front of the computer but not time to stroll the library shelves...
By
Anonymous, at 2:43 PM
For novels, requiring a longer time commitment, I still prefer to buy them and *own* them. But for comics collections (trade paperbacks) or graphic novels (single, long comic stories in one book), I do generally prefer the library. These books tend to cost more, per page, than a text novel, and if you don't like them, you're out a good chunk of change immediately. Paperback books, on the other hand, require a lower money investment up front (relative to graphic novels) and require a longer time commitment, plus I usually want to own them afterward.
By
Van Allen Plexico, at 8:39 PM
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