Library Runs

DanielSTJ

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New idea for a topic: post the photos of your books you've taken out from the library!

Here's mine:

31935688_2085318101715614_7102835846893535232_n.jpg
 
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Maryn

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Know what's sad? I live the closest I've ever lived to the library, and I almost never go. The stack of books I own and haven't read is so tall it seems like a bad idea.
 

Brightdreamer

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Know what's sad? I live the closest I've ever lived to the library, and I almost never go. The stack of books I own and haven't read is so tall it seems like a bad idea.

I'll see your sad and raise you a pathetic: I've worked for our local library system's shipping center for eleven-odd years, and - barring Overdrive and Hoopla digital titles - have yet to check out a single item. Even knowing I can check out anything without a hold slip. Even knowing I could talk my way out of any late fees 'cause the techs are right there. I tell myself I'll check something out when the backlog drops below double digits... and it never has. It never will...
 

Blinkk

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This thread is getting pretty sad pretty quick.

My work requires a large amount of driving, so I get most of my reads on Audible. Last library book I checked out was...gosh...7 months ago? I read a lot because I listen in the car. (Actually I feel weird saying, "I'm gonna go read" and then plug in my headphones. Is it still reading if you're listening? Do we need to invent a new verb for this action?)

I have not held a physical book in over 7 months, but I've finished 9 novels. That sounds like the beginning of an annoying riddle.
 

Pterofan

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No it isn't. I live within walking distance of my local library (although I have to climb a steep hill to get there, which sucks) and I can tell you it's doing a healthy business. They have a lobby with tables and chairs and WiFi is free, so my laptop and I are up there every day. I not only check out books (I'm finishing one up right now) but I get to see movies and binge watch TV shows on DVD. I was able to complete my Stephen King run in hardback thanks to discounted copies in the library book store. It's the best place ever for addicted readers on a budget.

Case in point: thanks to the county's library system, I was able to binge-read the first six volumes of the Throne of Glass series. Any book my local library didn't have, one of the others did. I think it took me visits to four different libraries to read six books, but I got to visit other locations and saved myself a bundle. You can't beat that with a stick.
 

Brightdreamer

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Case in point: thanks to the county's library system, I was able to binge-read the first six volumes of the Throne of Glass series. Any book my local library didn't have, one of the others did. I think it took me visits to four different libraries to read six books, but I got to visit other locations and saved myself a bundle. You can't beat that with a stick.

You could've saved yourself the travel with ILL - interlibrary loan. Just sayin'... ;)

And judging from the condition of my hands after a working day, people are definitely still using libraries. Locally, I think they're in good shape - though I do worry, especially with the rising shades of power in my country that have, historically, not meant good things for public services or the free exchange of ideas. (Come near my workspace and I'll bounce a dictionary off their skulls...)
 

Snitchcat

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Hmm... last time I borrowed a book was over a decade ago. The library stopped offering the books I wanted to read and is too crowded, even on the reference floor.
 

GailD

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Ohhh noooooooessss!

It's doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomed!

On the bright side - we moved out of Johannesburg at the end of January, to this teeny tiny town in the Eastern Cape. There is no bookstore here. Not even a 2nd hand book store. Nada. Total boonies. But there is a library and it's surprisingly well stocked, although many of the novels are seriously old. Think Leon Uris, Sidney Sheldon, and other 70's authors. (Not to mention an entire shelf of Mills & Boon.)

But, in among the Hammond Innes' and the Louis L'amours we found quite a number of fairly recent books (only about 7 years old, or so) by authors we like. So hubby and I are now card-carrying library members. I donated a copy of my book. The senior librarian was thrilled. Must be newest book she's had in a long time. :D


But we are thinking about opening a 2nd hand book shop.
 

mrsmig

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I haven't checked out an actual book from my library in eons, but when I was in NYC last year I borrowed heavily from the NYPL's digital library. Even though I'm not a resident, I was able to get a card since I could prove I was there for an extended period for work.

I've been home now for about six months. The card is still active and technically I could still check stuff out, but I feel weird about it.
 

Pterofan

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You could've saved yourself the travel with ILL - interlibrary loan. Just sayin'... ;)

We do have interlibrary loan, but it takes about 2-3 days to send a book to my neighborhood. Lancaster County has over a dozen libraries, a pretty even mix of branch libraries and fully stocked. At least five other libraries are within a 20-30 minute drive from my local one. I find it faster and more convenient to just drive over and pick up a book or movie, especially a movie because I want to see it NOW. I can shop and do errands while I'm out.

Not to mention I have to leave the house, which cuts down on time available for housework and writing. Always look for the ulterior motive. :evil
 

Jason

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New idea for a topic: post the photos of your books you've taken out from the library!

Here's mine:

31935688_2085318101715614_7102835846893535232_n.jpg

Satanic Verses! I'm going to read that next I think. Right now I'm reading Fallen Land by Taylor Brown.
 

Verboten

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I have a library very close to where I work, so I go there all the time. Being around a lot of books has been a form of comfort for me since I was a small child. There are times where I go to the library and check out a bunch of books, but then have to send them back without reading them all. There's also times where I check out so many that there's no way I can read them in a normal amount of time, but life is better if I'm surrounded by books. Working full-time, being a full-time mom, being a writer...all these things don't allow for a whole lot of reading, but books make me feel better.
 

ReadWriteRachel

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I adore my public library! It's pretty small compared to the library system I grew up with, and the library system in the town I went to college in, but it's a really nice place for me to go read or write. I'm also in the habit of checking out a lot of books from there and having to return them unread. ;) But the good thing now is that I'm still a cardholder in my hometown library system and my college one, which all use Overdrive, Libby, and/or Hoopla, so I have access to tons of free music, movies, and e-books. If I can't find something at one system, I can always check the other two.

I like to check out the e-book edition and the physical edition of a book at the same time, so I can read in my Kindle browser app at work and then go home and pick up with the physical version, or read on my Kindle. Libraries are miracle places! ♥
 

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On the bright side - we moved out of Johannesburg at the end of January, to this teeny tiny town in the Eastern Cape. There is no bookstore here. Not even a 2nd hand book store. Nada. Total boonies. But there is a library and it's surprisingly well stocked, although many of the novels are seriously old. Think Leon Uris, Sidney Sheldon, and other 70's authors. (Not to mention an entire shelf of Mills & Boon.)

But, in among the Hammond Innes' and the Louis L'amours we found quite a number of fairly recent books (only about 7 years old, or so) by authors we like. So hubby and I are now card-carrying library members. I donated a copy of my book. The senior librarian was thrilled. Must be newest book she's had in a long time. :D


But we are thinking about opening a 2nd hand book shop.

Any Wilbur Smith in the library??
I thought about opening a book shop too. This after I went to the local book shop and asked the proprietor if he'd be willing to stock my books. He gave me a snotty look and suggested I go and pester someone else. Not exactly a rejection letter but unsettling nevertheless. Good job there was a suitable hostelry next door where I could take solace.