filed in What Gets Me Through the Day
Reading Time
For the first time in a long time, I visited my local library and checked out some books. I’d forgotten what a wonderful feeling that is.
Illustration by Peter Max
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22 comments for “Reading Time”
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I traded the library for Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. Now I think thin that I should go to the library too.
The library felt so retro, even though it’s almost brand new. I liked that about it.
Hm, maybe libraries could set aside space for in-house cafes (separate rooms of course, to preserve the silence)…part of the deal would be a % of revenue goes to the library. People with beverages would be restricted to the magazine room only, perhaps.
I’m sure this is seriously flawed, or else it would already be happening.
Santa Monica, CA has a cafe. Very nice but the coffee isn’t great. People really use it.
Our public libraries sell K-cups at the desk and give cups with lids.
Wow. That’s service.
I cannot say i go there frequently but yes, that last time I was there was a couple of months ago. I was reading David copperfield for my book club. I had the audio book but I wanted to read the hard copy a little to and i went to the the library and checked it out and sat there and read some of it there too. The library is one of the last public QUIET places to be.
Yes it is and it’s so refreshing and peaceful.
I make use of the campus library for research/work purposes, as well as pleasure reading purposes, but I typically just sign out a book (or request it via interlibrary loan), rather than spend time AT the library. But I did go yesterday to meet a friend from another department for coffee in the library coffee shop. I was struck by how much I love being surrounded by books, whether at a library or (more often) Barnes and Noble.
A branch of the local library is located nearby, so perhaps I need to make a visit one of these days!
I happened to be at my local Barnes & Noble store today, and there was a book signing for Jimmy Carter. People lined up for blocks and blocks, just like they do for the new iPhone.
Almost three years I took a side job at the local small town library. I had a day job at a college in New Hampshire and didn’t need the money; I just thought it would be a fun thing to do. Once a week for four hours I was “library substitute” and helped people find books, return books, navigate the children’s room book (they had over 3,000 books!), shelf DVDs, etc. We had a little computer area where I drafted a woman’s resume for a job interview she had in about an hour and the best perk of all: no late fees for employees! Oh, if you recommended the library purchase a book and they did, you got to be the first person to check it out. I still get a thrill when I think about getting “my” book.
That’s so cool. One of the highlights of my library visit was that everyone who worked there was so nice.
I absolutely patronize my local library – when the economy tanked several years ago, I had to cut some corners, so Amazon and Barnes & Noble both took a hit to their bottom line, courtesy of me. Right now, I have three books and nine CD’s checked out, 🙂
I might have to become a library convert.
I can’t believe how few people have library cards in my area – why do people buy books to read one time? Their taxes have already paid for the library, so they’re paying twice!
I went through a period of time when I didn’t use the library (I’ve always kept a card, though – I don’t feel like I’m part of any community I live in without one). My reasons for buying so dangblasted many books were shallow – I liked how my living space looks with a lot of books in it, the dark wood shelves of the Barnes & Noble feel more welcoming than the gray metal ones at the library, there’s an immediacy that I like from being able to just buy something and take it home (sometimes I have to wait a few months for a new book because other library patrons have beaten me to it), I like being able to say that I own “things”, etc. The economy had the effect of bringing my priorities back into alignment, and even before that, I was going through a major simplifying/downsizing/getting-rid-of-excess-baggage-and-reducing-my-footprint phase. I still go into my local Barnes & Noble and shop on Amazon…for gifts to others.
Even with all of that, I am also shocked by how few of the people I know have library cards. It’s even more shocking to me when someone I know doesn’t even know where the library is located.
I go in phases with libraries. And there are so many in L.A. An embarrassment or riches.
I also buy books, because I often want to linger longer than the library allots.
Yay! I am a school librarian full-time and a reference librarian for a public library part-time. There seems to be an uptick in library appreciation lately where I am. I mean, people actually walking in and saying to me, “This is a great place.”
There are lots of things to use and do at the public library (even get tax forms). People are surprised to hear that. Many libraries let you borrow e-books right to your Kindle or iPad (via app) with your card, so it’s not even as if all you can get are “musty old books” anymore.
I haven’t “borrowed” an e-book yet. But I look forward to it. Sounds very convenient.
My public library is amazing. I am so proud of it every time I walk in. It is always abuzz with all kinds of activity, has a cafe and a large community room that even hosts the town’s farmers market in colder weather.
It was also a great resource for us during Sandy and other recent natural disasters as they would be open on generator power at all hours for warming and for the all-important charging of electronic devices. It became a daily routine to walk to the library with laptop and cell phone, plug them in and sit for a few hours (usually on the floor, as it was packed out with the whole town).
It is a true community center. I feel like they do EVERYTHING right and I just love it.
At the central library in downtown L.A., they have an awesome writers series, and it’s free. One of my favorite things to do.