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Having a library card has saved me in the past when I've needed to print something last minute and my printer wasn't working.
I've also made use of digital magazine subscriptions with them in the past.
Always worth checking out what other services they have, you might be surprised.
Ours has a telescope and park passes available to check out. I really like the arts and culture classes they put on for the community too. They’re so much more than books.
My last library was.... Not great. Mostly because of the town it was in, not the librarians.
New one is amazing - 3d printer, maker classes, painting classes, museums and multiple online educational tools for kids....
Even a play area for under 8 with puzzles and nooks for them to read in. The one in town when I was a kid is bigger, and had a larger nonfiction/adult section by far, but this one is amazing for the teens and under, even graphic novels, mangas, etc available. I'm glad my kids have this library available to them.
Edit: And just to mention, youngest is too little to read yet but enjoys the learning play there. Oldest is reading 2 books between each trip, 2-3 times a week. Such a great resource, wish it was as good everywhere.
I started reading more a couple years ago - like a lot more. One day my wife (who paid the bills) said "I don't want to discourage you from a healthy hobby in any way, but I want to make sure you know that you've spent close to $300 on books in the last few months. I had not realized it was that much. I started looking into alternatives and someone here on Lemmy mentioned the Libby app. I live in Los Angeles county and it turns out I'm legitimately allowed to have an LA city library card, an LA county library card, and a San Bernardino county library card (theirs are available to anyone who lives in the state).
I got all three and connected them to the Libby app. When I search for a book, it will check all the libraries I have cards for. So far this year I've read more than 50 novels (well, a few of them were novellas, but a few of them were really long novels, so it balances). I'm a big fan.
I love libby! Helps me get through work and i'm reading the most i have since being a kid :)
Would have loved to have had a job I could read at. Retired now, so I can read as much as I want, which is kind of an unhealthy amount.
I think SF is good for anyone, you just have to sign up in person.
Libby for audiobooks.
Kanopy for movies / plays / ballet productions.
Hoopla for music / TV / comics.
Maybe your library has a streaming or podcast setup. 3D printers. Laser cutters.
Or cooking supplies to borrow. Video games. Vacuum cleaners. Laptops. Wi-Fi. Car maintenance tools. Whatever.
Libraries are the best.
Yes! Telescopes, Mac Books, free terminals for internet access. And a bunch of kick-ass people who really know their stuff and work there because they genuinely love to help ALL people.
My local libraries rule. I bet yours do too.
My local library does first-come passes for local parks and museums and the zoo. They're only valid certain days of the week, but it's great for kids who might otherwise just not have access to those because of money.
My local library has Nintendo Switch, they have 3d printers you can use and classes you can take, tools you can check out, the books are great but it's basically like a whole new world in there.
It is what organizations should be, if everyone wasn't busy trying to upsell you to the $25/mo tier all the time.
libraries are both proof that anarchism could work under the right conditions AND a great place to meet anarchists
Hey look, someone who understands what anarchism is
Holy crap that library sounds awesome.
I haven't personally used a library in a very long time, but, having spent a sizeable portion of my youth reading, I have such fond memories of my mum taking me and my siblings to libraries when we were young and poor.
Genuinely one of the most beautiful things that exists in society. Free knowledge, available to anyone and everyone, with no expectations of payment. I read somewhere that if someone came up with the idea of a library in today's world, it would never happen. The fact that libraries exist in the modern world in spite of the commercialisation of everything, restores some of my faith in humanity.
Fuck yeah libraries.
Mine has a "this is how much you've saved using the library instead of buying this fiscal year" segment on the receipts. Last year was around $1600.
My library account grants me access to a bunch of courses on Udemy. Saved me a ton of money.
Huh, I'll have to look into that
They even have board games.
BOARD GAMES.
I found out recently that my local library does a board games thing on a Saturday morning.
I think there's another in the same county that does D&D but I might have imagined that.
My kids grew out of their switch. I got a card and played all the games I wanted for free. It was amazing
Having fun isn't hard when you have a library card.
Video games, cricuts, tool kits, baking pans, calligraphy sets, sewing machines, yoga/tai-chi classes, etc, etc, etc. Libraries can have a million things and you’ll never know until you come in and find out.
also because i've heard some horror stories of people not getting library cards because they didn't understand the social contract of libraries: "rent" isn't the word most of us use because "rent" implies you fork over money to use the resource. libraries lend. they let you have the media, or the knowledge, or the entertainment and only expect that in return you use it to enrich your life. that through this interaction you become a little more wholly the person you were always meant to be
This sounds like one of the easiest ways a person can give back to their community. I think it's brilliant and will remember to share this advice to people for the rest of the time that we have public libraries (which might not be long, given the way things are going).
I do everything I can to support my library. They are such an important resource. I also like e close to a good library that let's you not only check out media, but also let's you check out board games, power tools, cake molds, seed, and even neckties.
Check out the Libby by Overdrive app! It give you access to the e-books, audio books, articles and I thiiiink.....podcasts too now, but I could be wrong. It uses your library card to connect to your home library branch!
My local library gives me access to newspapers and magazines delivered to my devices electronically every morning; movie streaming services; audiobook accessibe on my phone and - my favourite - they even have equipment loan, so if you want to borrow a hedge strimmer, rice cooker, embroidery machine, car jack, wallpaper steamer, etc, you can. That's to say nothing of the services I don't use, like arts classes, training courses, yoga sessions, etc. People pay hundreds every month for services freely available at the library.
I have library cards in three different states.
In some places making a personal copy of media is allowed as long as the media is acquired in a legal way.
Lending a dvd from the library is a legal way to acquire media for a short duration of time.
Put the results in jellyfin and enjoy your own personal Netflix where content is reliable and chosen by you.
Watch from outside home using a vpn.
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Check the nearest large city. For example, in Pennsylvania anyone in the state can sign up for the Philadelphia library even if you've never been to Philly. The process is entirely online.
I've also been told some libraries will let anyone sign up online for a yearly fee. Then you use the Libby app to borrow books.
Just call them. I'm sure the librarians would be happy to help you out, especially since many libraries offer ebooks.
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There’s library down the street and I borrow all the new ps5 games on release there, and they also have weekly programs for my son who is on the spectrum. My other kid loves going there to use the 3d printer
Also, with a library card you can get access to Kanopy, which is a streaming service that is free as long as you are a teacher or have a library card. I got to watch Monty Python's The Life of Brian last month on it.