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- -I never go to the library, haven’t in years. I like reading but don’t have a lot of time for it, and don’t like reading fiction (as I’ve seen it, there’s enough true wierdness/horror in the world, if you know where to look for it). Mostly what I end up needing is current technical books on some aspect of computers, so the library isn’t much help. Most of the non-fiction books the library has seem to date back from the 50’s and 60’s, and any really good books get stolen. -And finally, I’m not in the city limits, so a library card costs like $80 instead of $5 a year.
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-Libraries don’t matter as much as they used to now, because there’s more easy ways for ordinary people to get information (on the net) as well as books (amazon or local giant bookstores).
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- -I never go to the library, haven’t in years. I like reading but don’t have a lot of time for it, and don’t like reading fiction (as I’ve seen it, there’s enough true wierdness/horror in the world, if you know where to look for it). Mostly what I end up needing is current technical books on some aspect of computers, so the library isn’t much help. Most of the non-fiction books the library has seem to date back from the 50’s and 60’s, and any really good books get stolen. -And finally, I’m not in the city limits, so a library card costs like $80 instead of $5 a year.
I go to the library during my school breaks; I have enough books at home that I can reread when I don’t really have time to go out for more.
My best friend hasn’t been near a library for about eight years now. He’s sure that he’s lost at least one book from nearly every library in the area, and after his fiasco with the high school library long ago (they wouldn’t let him graduate until he paid more than $60 in late fees), he’s sure that they’ll do something horrible to him if he sets foot in one.
In my younger days I used to practically live at the library; if the local branch didn’t have something I thought nothing of taking the bus downtown to the main library. My high school library had a great fiction section, with a lot of SF (including most of the Heinlein juveniles).
When we bought our house one of the things that attracted me to it was that there was a local library branch nearby. Unfortunately, the selection there has deteriorated badly over the years, and I haven’t set foot in it in a few years.
About once a week. Our local library system is pretty good. Usually, I get 10-12 books for myself and about that many for my two kids.
I still buy a lot of books, but the library lets me read many more than I could afford to buy!
I have a library card, and only check out books that will get me odd looks, like How To Stuff and Mount Animals* and The Sex Life of Aborigines.
It’s not always a requirement, and I would encourage anyone who’s interested in being a librarian to investigate the career opportunities in your local systems before investing in a degree. I’m a librarian for one of the best public library systems in the country and I have an MA in psychology. My only previous library experience was shelving books for one semester at an academic library in a different country, and I had no experience with young children – story times being one of things I now do – but I still beat out over a hundred other people for this job. Few of my colleagues have MLS’s; in my system you only need an MLS if you want to be promoted into a management/administrative position. So if anyone is interested in becoming a librarian, do check out your local libraries’ employment websites to see what their requirements are. It is true that many libraries may insist on your having an accredited MLS, but in my experience the basic requirements are a college degree in any subject, some computer skills, and an enthusiasm for libraries.
In regards to the OP, I use the library extensively (of course!) but I also regular make purchases on Amazon. Some things I want to own and have access to whenever the mood strikes me. My favourite use of the library is probably in “previewing” things that I’m interested in enough to possibly own. I hate buying books or movies and not liking them, and having them sit on the shelf as a reminder of money wasted!
I go to the library for books when I have time for leisure reading and I don’t happen to have a stack of books at home from the used book store of the Friends of the Library sale or cough a big evil chain bookstore. I like going to the public library 'cause it’s friendly and more fun to browse, but, hey, you can’t beat the six month loan from the university library, even if the stacks are creepy, dark, and full of books in foreign languages. If I have to go there, I always use the catalog to figure out exactly what I want and write down the Library of Congress number, so I can dash in, grab what I want, and run out.
My most frequent pattern of library use, though, is when I go off on a thing . . . I get obsessed with some topic, and I check out a whole bunch of books on the topic.
Till I got my first computer about 7 years ago, I use to go 2 or 3 times a week. I still go about once a week, usually for movies. My local library has a very good selection of movies, almost like a Blockbuster without the just released and porn and it’s all free. My library also has a very good selection of factory service manuals for many makes of automobiles. These are much better than Chilton’s or Haynes’ for working on cars. And it’s only a nickel per page to copy just what I need. The King County library system is one of the better systems in the US.
I used to go to the library daily (or almost so), until about 3 years ago, when I moved. The library I used to go to is only about 15 minutes away by car, but the staff treated me like crap there, plus they were in the midst of remodeling when I moved, so I likely wouldn’t be able to find anything there anymore anyway. I’ve tried a couple time to use the library by work, totally unsuccessfully, as I couldn’t even find an open place to part. One of these days, I’ll check out the public library here and see if it’s worth spending time at, but I never seem to have time to do anything that’s not essential (maybe if people in my family stop getting married, so I don’t have so many bridal showers and weddings to attend…).
I’m at the library every week or two. Both Burnaby and Vancouver have good libraries and are associated with all the nearby suburbs, so the selection is great. Their online catalogues are handy too. I mostly get fiction; videos and CDs are on a short loan. And I buy books too, usually second-hand.
Although I love the library, the only times I ever go to one is when I need tax forms and my printer is out of ink (which is pretty much always). I love book stores, especially used book stores. The internet is a cool thing, but nowhere near to what is in print. Many times I shake my head in this board when people demand cites on the net for things that I thought were common knowledge because I read them in books 20 years ago. I used to love the library, and we have a great one not two blocks from the house, but I prefer to buy my books. Plus, usually what I’m looking for (the one day out of the year that I go there) is checked out, and I’m a somewhat impatient person. When I want a book, I want it NOW or at least by next day air.
Wanna get some knowledge? Read books. Wanna read crap? Surf the net.
I only really use the university library, and then only when I am doing research. Nowdays, though, I have amassed enough books that I can do a lot of my school research at home.
I’m extremely forgetful, I tend to drop books in the bathtub and I don’t drive, so the chances of any book I check out actually making it back to the library without some massive fees is pretty low. I’m also a big re-reader. My books get read four or five times at least. Books are like my friends, and I can’t bear the thought of not having a particular book on hand when the mood to read it strikes. Nothing is too stupid for me to re-read. I can’t even bring myself to sell my text books back.
And if I ever have kids, I want to have a large library. My fondest memories are of curling up and reading my mom’s old college textbooks as a kid. I didn’t understand half of what I was reading, but some of that stuff sparked life-long interests.
I stop at the used bookstore weekly. Usually I spend about ten bucks and buy a piece of liturature, an “easy-reading” book and a non-fiction book. I’m twenty-two and already I have six book cases full of books(!)
I don’t use the library. When I read a book, I want to keep it. I want to be able to go look through it at will or reread it at the drop of a hat. Plus library books have creeped me out since the time in high school when I found a squished spider in one and something that looked quite an awful lot like a booger in another.
Love my local library. In fact one of the reasons I stuck out being a temp where I now work permanently is that the library was a block away.
I love the fact that they display new books near the checkout. I got hooked on Terry Pratchett because I couldn’t resist a book with the title Carpe Jugulum. Don’t you love it when you discover an author who has already written more than ten books?
I also love the online card catalog and website. I can request books and they’ll be collected, even from other libraries (within the county) and held for me at the desk for checkout. I can check a list of the books I have checked out and when they are due and renew them online. This has saved me a lot of overdue fines.
I used to own more books than I do. But I spent a few years moving to smaller and smaller places, while being more and more broke. I learned to keep and treasure core books and let most others come and go. Now I donate to the library rather than selling them, but I still keep the stacks down.
And housekeeping without books on tape is a drab and dreary thing. I love our local collection of books on tape and CD. I’ve also had good luck finding gems among the VHS tapes and ‘young adult’ graphic novels. I found Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series at the library. Got hooked enough to buy the two volumes that the library didn’t have. Then donated them. I’ve even gone back to check them out from time to time.
Love the library. Can’t imagine living anywhere that didn’t have a good one.
I am a library addict. I used to buy books but with the cost of a hard cover book reaching nearly 30.00 and a hard cover nearly 8.00, I just can’t afford it anymore. Plus, you buy all these books and where do you put them?
I live in the Seattle area and there is a fantastic library system. What I normally do is wander around Barnes & Noble with a pen and paper and jot down the author and title of any book that looks interesting. I go home, log into the online Library catalog and request every book that looks good. Once the book is in, I get an email to go get it.
I can have up to 20 books in the queue at any one time, and I generally try to keep it full so I always have new books to go pick up. I’ve gotten really good at getting on the waiting lists of books before they’re released, so I get them really quickly.
I’ve never lost a book, but I do rack up the occasional 10 cent fee if I checked out a book on a Saturday, but get to the library on a Sunday instead. It’s still REALLY cost efficient.
Now that I’m not buying books anynore, I’m probably saving 50 bucks a month EASY. Although, there are certain books I’ll still buy, still waiting for the next George R. R. Martin!
I USED to, but with my schedule, I kept bringing books back late and having to pay all sorts of fees, now, I just buy the darn book.
LOL,I should have READ all the posts before posting. Glory makes some good points.
BUT, she (he?) sounds a LOT more organized and maybe with a wee bit more spare time than I have (I have one regular full time job, and teach dance and aerobics 4-5 times a week depending on the semester).
Also, I live in Anchorage, not the greatest libraries, or the quickest at getting new books etc.
As to price? I frequently pick up books at the Senior Center’s bi-annual book sale for like 10 for a buck, as well as all the garage sales and thrift stores. I sometimes buy new, but usually wait til the summer months (when the garage sales are held and when the thrift stores have their best selection) and stock up for the winter.
At those prices, I can then trade them in at the “Title Wave” used book store, where 5 paperbacks will get you one “new” title at no charge, and so on.
I have a library card, and I try to go as often as possible, but I just don’t have the time. The local library is about a 15 minute drive from my house, and it’s a rare occasion when I have a reason to be in town, so my books are always late.
My high school library has a very wide range of selection, so I tend to use it more. There are few new novels, though, because funding is pretty tight, but the classics are there and a lot of research-oriented books. I visit the HS library maybe once a month, unless I have research papers or something, and then it’s almost every day. It is, obviously, more convenient since I’m in school 5 days a week.
It was mentioned earlier, but I agree that the library is inconvenient for me because two weeks is just not enough time for me to finish a book these days. I’m busy with homework or extracurriculars. This is probably why I buy books more often since they can sit on my shelf until I have time to finish them.
Like someone else here, I go to to the library five days a week, for about 40 hours per week.
I wouldn’t think that everyone on this board would be big library users. Since everyone here is 'Net savvy, most of us can figure out how to find out info when we need it.
As for books, even though I can get just about any book I want, I still buy books because I like to keep them around.
I go to the library no more than once a week (only on the weekends) and only if I have something due or something to pick up. I do all my browsing online, how much easier can it be? 