Thursday, June 25, 2009

Libraries Are So Much More Than Books

One of the few places a person can go for free entertainment is a library. Gerard never went to libraries before we were married but I introduced him to the one by our home and then we looked at others in the area as well. Now he goes every week and encourages other people to get a library card too. He used to buy books all the time but now fins them at the library.

With this recession, libraries have seen an increase in the number of patrons. There is so much more to libraries than just books! We have seven in our area that I can think of just off the top of my head, two within walking distance of our house and one within walking distance of my office where I work.

The one nearest to us has CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and even children’s games that can be borrowed. It has a variety of activities for kids including game days where kids can come and play games together such as Chess, Checkers, Monopoly, etc. Sometimes they’ll even have a Wii set up that people of all ages (even me!) can come and play during family times. This is where I went to try Wii bowling one Saturday morning.

Another nice thing is that they have computers for the public to come in and use for free. If I want to work on my blog or go on pogo, Facebook, Twitter or a discussion forum, I can do it at lunch time at the Main Cleveland Public Library since work doesn’t want us using those sites at work. I do have a cell phone but not the Internet connection on it because I’m cheap. The phone already costs plenty just to use for basic phone calls--$60 a month! I am seriously considering switching to Revel the end of this year since it’s much cheaper because it’s only local which is fine for us. Usually there is a long waiting list but I get about 20 minutes in generally. I also used the computers at the library near our home when my computer was in for repair which was when I first learned how to sign up for them.

Some libraries have authors come and speak about their books or other special classes. The one Main Cleveland Public Library in downtown Cleveland recently had knitting group in the library garden on a Saturday open to anyone. They even taught beginners how to do it for free! You never know what you’ll find at the library. Today there was a little band at the library garden playing music and box lunches were available for $10 each (not in my budget).

Occasionally, after playing tennis behind the library in North Royalton, it's always nice to stop in just to cool off, use the restroom and get a drink on a hot day.

We go to the library practically every week. Did you know you can go on the web site and request books that you’d like to read? If your particular branch doesn’t have it on their shelves, they can order it from another branch for you. We love this service! The library is a real good place to go. When was the last time you visited a library near you?

Ohio has one of the best library systems in the country and now our Governor is planning to cut their state funding by 50%! This is very distressing, especially since our library tax proposals always get passed. Log on to saveohiolibraries.com to stop him. Call the governor of Ohio at 614-466-3555 or 614-644-4357.

8 comments:

Lin said...

Go, libraries!! The one in our town stinks, but we go to the next town over instead. It's nice to have some good options.

Daisy said...

We love the library! Especially since it's almost 10 green papers just for a paperback book. In our library, they are starting to replace the check-out people with these self-serve kiosks. You just scan your library card and when you scan each book, it prints out a receipt that you place in the pocket of the book.

The Bumbles said...

BRAVO!!! People think of the library only as a place to borrow books. Moms of little ones know that there are tons of free activities to take advantage of but the rest of us are clueless sometimes. Our library is fantastic - they show free movies, have popular authors, teach computer courses, foregin language lessons, resume writing and job search strategies - along with all the traditional book and movie lending.

Mike Golch said...

libraries are that indeed, it is a great place to go to lose your self in a book.

BeadedTail said...

We love the library! It seems we always have a hold request on a book and eagerly wait for it to come in. Our library is like Daisy's where it's mostly self-serve so we scan our own books and get a receipt with the due dates.

bcmomtoo said...

I love our library! We have all those things you mentioned. It's just a great place. We usually go twice a week, just to go - and then there are all the activities. They're especially great for teens - nice, good fun, and you don't have to worry about what kind of trouble they're getting into.

holly said...

first of all, thanks for stopping by my blog (from SITS). and thanks for providing a link to this post. i enjoyed reading someone else's post about libraries. i don't do a good job of using the resources, other than books, that are offered and need to get better at that. i also don't take my 18-month old to the library and need to start that habit! his small in-home daycare has the bookmobile come by twice a month and he loves it!

holly said...

first of all, thanks for stopping by my blog (from SITS). and thanks for providing a link to this post. i enjoyed reading someone else's post about libraries. i don't do a good job of using the resources, other than books, that are offered and need to get better at that. i also don't take my 18-month old to the library and need to start that habit! his small in-home daycare has the bookmobile come by twice a month and he loves it!

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