Saturday is an errands kind of day for us. As I’ve covered many times, I’m not really a routine lover. I don’t like doing the same thing over and over at all, let alone on the same day at the same time. In fact, there is only one thing that we do every week at around about the same day and time and it has become sacred: we visit the library.
For years, I’d quit visiting the library. It probably had something to do with me not reading. At the very least, it was a vicious cycle. Even when I’d been a library-goer in the past, I’d still been an avid book buyer as well. Over the last few years, I’ve proudly broken the need to own books at all, really. I’ll occasionally pick up my own copy of an obscure title or a book I will need to reference in the future, but I largely rely on the library to supply my current reads. Sure, sometimes you need to wait for a book you want to read, but wander the aisles and you’re sure to find something that’ll tide you over until your turn.
I’ve really grown to appreciate the place that a library holds in a community. On any given visit, we cross paths with some elderly patrons, children, new Canadians and people from all walks of life. It’s also notable that, more than many private businesses, your local library is probably adapting more quickly to the evolution of people’s needs and to technology. Catalogues often include a variety of borrowing material: actual books, audio books, ebooks, magazines, DVDs, our library even has Chromebooks available!
I’m always surprised at how meaningful the library has become in our lives and I’m so happy we have given it another chance.
Do you use your local library? What do you love or hate about it?