I do own a lot of books but that doesn't stop me from making frequent visits to my local library. Frankly, the library prevents me from living in a cardboard box with all of the books I would have to own if there were no such thing as public libraries. I'm probably there about once every other week, sometimes more. My library is only a little over a mile away from where I live so it's a nice short walk. I've been really impressed with my city's public library system. I have come across very few books that I'm not able to get at the library. If I find a book I want at another branch, I simply put in a request online and the book is magically transported to my local library. It's like having a personal bookstore where everything is free!
I understand there are others out there who do not have such a profound love for libraries. This article may be appropriate for you. Maybe you'll see the light ;)
Where do you usually get your books? Library or buy?
Depends on the book-
ReplyDeleteOnce a month, I go to the public library and fill up my "library bag" (which I purchased for $.99) and what ends up in there is usually whatever looks good.
Sometimes though, I find a reader I adore, like Mary Higgins Clark, or Phillippa Gregor, or a series I like (or want to like), like Twilight or Harry Potter, Little House on the Prairie and I want a hard copy for my bookshelf, so I buy them (either on clearance or at Amazon).
I did get a kindle for Christmas, but I'm sorta stingy- that's where I have all the (free) classics and I'm actually trying really hard to get with the technology and buy more books, that I want to keep, on my Kindle.
Depends...
You know, I don't why, but I don't use the library as much as I should. Given the number of books I've BOUGHT that are just collecting dust, unread, I should stop buying for a while. And get new books via the library.
ReplyDeleteI do like the library for books I'm not sure about or authors new to me. I actually have read two library books in the past couple of weeks, and that's a LOT for me. I'm trying to get to where I support my library more.
When I do go, I look for books/authors I've been wanting to read for a while. Usually in doing that I find something I hadn't heard of before but that sounds good. So, it's not only good for saving money, but also for broadening my horizons!
I love Cranky's idea of a library bag. I might have to start doing that.
I don't have time to go to library and browse or borrow books. I do that rarely. I love to buy books and have my own stamp on them and collect them.
ReplyDelete@-The Cranky Anthropologist I also try to save my buys for books that I really, really want or series.
ReplyDelete@ham1299 Borders (a bookstore chain if you don't have it by you) is going out of business by us so I've been stocking up on books as well. I need to be on a book buying moratorium too :/
ReplyDelete@zakiah Yay! Thank you for finding me here! I'm really weird about marking up my books. The most I will do is put post-its on the pages to mark things I want to remember.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I don't think the Borders here is closing. I hope it stays that way! (I'd be stocking up, too, though, if it was closing!)
ReplyDeleteI'm like you - I do NOT mark up books. Big no-no in my book (pardon the pun). I do the post-it thing, too! LOL Great minds think alike, right? ;-)
I'm a big fan of the public library too!
ReplyDeleteWell, being in Bangkok, we don't have any significant English language libraries. I get my books through a combination of new bookstores and used bookstores.
ReplyDelete@DCMetroreader This area has a wonderful library system!
ReplyDelete@christao408 I would be sad about not having a library around to rent books from. I would definitely miss it!
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