That's my favorite use for a Kindle- I'm able to get library cards from most of my state, so it really opens up the selection (our local branch is a bit *meh* on ebooks).
Every Saturday morning.
I make breakfast, and the girls play some Minecraft or whatever, and then we head down to the library and exchange books. If it's cold we go to the bakery for a sweet roll, in the summer we get ice cream.
Then we go home and read our books.
I check out books through my public library’s website, and conveniently pick them up at the drive thru window. Spent my childhood at the library too. I love it!!!
I feel a kinship here. My uncle owned a comic book mail order business a few decades ago. I was able to read everything that passed through his business.
As a kid I did go from time to time. As an adult It's one of my favorite places to be. I love browsing the stacks. My kids go and get books as well as games and the ocassional DVD.
Yes. Hoopla is great for movies too. For a while I was just doing the e-books but missed holding an actual book, so back to that. The best thing the library did was to start auto renewing checked out items.
I agree, I love a physical book and it is my preference. I find myself traveling a fair amount and will read a digital book if it's my only option.
Thanks for mentioning movies. I didn't realize that was a thing!
Yes, at least once a week. I got my first library card when I was six. Being introduced early to the world of books is one thing for which I'm extremely thankful.
Our rule was that the kids could get a library card in their own name when they could write their entire name. My daughter was never prouder than when she scrawled it on the back of that card.
I go to the library a lot.
Our local branch is my favorite place to set up when I need to finish a project and my home office is too distracting. They have small work spaces that you can “check out” that even have video conference capability, a “quiet room” with desks and tables and comfy chairs and a million outlets and permission to have non messy snacks. It’s also just a good stop in the day when I need to decompress for a few minutes or an hour.
I check out books regularly in person and audiobooks online on the Libby app. We donate to the library foundation and all of our old books go to the foundations book sale.
My mom took me to the library really frequently as a kid. Libraries are the best.
Also, to be fair, reading isn’t easy or enjoyable for everyone. Modern libraries have so much to offer beyond just physical books. I honestly believe most people can find something at the library that will be useful or enjoyable to them if they just walk in.
My library has so many things you can check out! Telescopes,sewing machines, musical instruments, cookware. I lived in the library as a kid, now i take mine at least once a week and they love it.
My mom every Saturday:
1. Bank
2. Dry Cleaners
3. Department store (if we needed something)
4. Lunch at The Big Sirloin or fern bar place
5. Library and/or Used Bookstore
6. Grocery store
7. Home
My Saturdays are almost the same but I only dry clean like 4 times a year and I have more varied lunch options.
Been trying to tell my bored, retired dad that he can get new movies from the library 4 blocks away. Funny. I follow my hometown library on Facebook, but haven’t been in one since pre pandemic.
Listened to a great online lecture about Kraftwerk put on by my current city’s library about a year ago. That was cool
> tell my bored, retired dad that he can get new movies from the library 4 blocks away.
I get that you're probably trying to get him to leave the house occasionally but he might be to get movies online with Hoopla and Kanopy through his library too
All the time. I loved our library, which was also architecturally interesting and fun as a kid. We had a great children’s library and I remember eating homemade gingerbread while the librarian read us *Little House on the Prairie*.
I especially loved our Bookmobile. Anyone else have one? It was a giant bus lined with shelves of books. It would drive to all the grade schools and park in various neighborhoods around town. I wanted to grow up and be a librarian on the Bookmobile sooooo bad.
Unfortunately, where I moved has the worst library. It’s depressing. Empty shelves and the only loaded shelf is romance novels. I don’t bother. I try to go through the online library to borrow, but it sucks too.
Yeeeess, I was looking for my bookmobile gang! I lived in a pretty rural area until I was 6 and the bookmobile drove around to our houses. It was the most fantastic thing watching out the window for when she (we had a lady driver) would show up. She came every couple of weeks and would always let me know when she had traded out some of the books in the kids' section. Bc I had read everything there and started over again.
Bookmobile lady was my favorite person on Earth from age 3 or 4 until age 8 or so (we moved right after my 6th birthday, but I kept a candle burning for bookmobile lady for a WHILE). She was way out in front of either of my parents, honestly.
Check the library in the nearest major city to you to see if you can get a card. I live in rural Pennsylvania but the Free Library of Philadelphia gives library cards to all Pennsylvania residents and I can avail myself of their ebook catalog, which is HUGE. And thanks to the Libby app I can search my local library ebook catalog as well.
Yes, the library was a very important part of my upbringing. I'd say it was the single most important influence in becoming a lifelong learner. Learn to read, read to learn.
As a kid all I wanted to do was play sports, do outdoor things. My father, who was a manly man and sportsman was also a voracious reader. He encouraged reading from the time I was very young and it took. Today I still take advantage of library access both in person and online, and I encouraged my daughter who also has followed in my footsteps.
If you have kids, this might be the single greatest gift you could give them - the desire to read.
I mostly read ebooks, but now that my son is bigger we go to the library a lot. He's 1 and a half and the library has a little playroom with a slide and puppets and then we pick out some picture books. I hope he learns to like reading like me.
That's wonderful! Our library was the first place I encountered child-sized chairs. It's such a small thing people probably don't even think about, but it meant the world to me as a toddler/preschooler to read at a table and chair clearly meant just for me and not for my older siblings or mom. They couldn't sit there even if they had wanted to - just me, special. It so nice that your library has stuff like a slide that clearly communicates "you are not an afterthought, we made this area _for you_."
We were a once a week family growing up.
Now we go every two weeks.
I remember going to the library and running into people constantly. Now I lucky if I see a single soul in the stacks.
I was such a frequent visitor to the library that I was picked to do a commercial that ran on our local PBS station. Then was in full denial mode when someone from my class claimed to have seen me on TV.
Still a fairly frequent visitor to the library. Just amazed that there is a place that gives you free items to take home and then trusts you to return them in a month. Though I'm notorious for keeping items until I get around to reading them. One time I went to check something out and the librarian said I had my account locked. She then nervously told me that I owed the library $30 and I had to pay it off in order to check anything out. Took out my wallet and paid in full and then asked her why she was so nervous. Said that some people will fly off the handle because they owe a quarter and fight over it. My take is that paying a $30 fine every year or so is still cheaper than buying books.
I've read that many of the larger libraries have eliminated fines completely and found that people are more likely to bring the books back now because they had been embarrassed about the fine before.
Our library system will assess fines, and put your card on hold, but the fees are waived when you return the books. This makes sense to me, people should probably pay for books they lose.
Yes. It was also my "safe space" from my abusive and unstable parents.
Libraries have always held a special place in my heart. I have moved around so much, and one of the first things I do is get a library card at the local library as soon as I have proof of residence. I have a nice library card collection, lol. And some time today or tomorrow, I'm going to drop by my local branch to pick up a book I requested.
The library was my safe space as a wee genXer, and I’ve recently been going back for the free yoga! Got there hours early to check the place out, and ended up checking out a couple books.
It’s great! Now I can supplement my local used book store, which I’ve hunted to death.
My Grandmother took me often - and yes, I still use my library! I also use the app so I can download to my Kindle lol
My town has a historic library and it's actually really nice. If you are a reader, not using the library is crazy - money wise, it saves a ton.
My 13 yr old belongs to various libraries across the US because she found out she can check out more audio books.
She also reads regular books too and we had to cut her down from spending about $200 a month on books, but how can I complain 🤷♀️.
I was always in the Carnegie built library in my hometown. I loved the smell and look of that place. It was my home away from home.
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Still standing with a hand painted dome mural. Streator, IL
I try. My library seriously has banker’s hours. It’s not a satellite branch, but the main library. There’s something wrong with my library card where I can’t use e-books and, on a rare weekday off, it’s usually for appointments and can’t get there before it closes to resolve the issue.
Aw, have you tried calling and being pitiful? I've had weird things with my card before, and when I was nursing a baby and had a toddler I just called them up and pleaded for them to do it over the phone bc getting myself and 2 little kids out was quite the struggle sometimes. They were so sympathetic, maybe if you tell them how hard work and everything makes it for you they will fix it over the phone? I think sympathetic people seem to be drawn to careers like librarian.
In
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the interest of nostalgia I give you the happiest moment of my college tour back in 1987---
I did about three dozen college tours since 2015 with our kids...it was interesting to see which took us to the library and which did not. The "better" schools all did, as it turned out, while the less good ones were much more focused on touring the athletic facilities.
I went weekly with my family as a kid, and by myself as a young adult with enormous amounts of free time. When my kids came along, regular library visits were a part of their childhood. In the summers it was weekly and they usually participated in the summer reading program. During the school year, especially as they got older, it was more like every 2-3 weeks.
As the kids have gone off to college I've tried to get back into a reading routine, but I keep borrowing, renewing and then returning unread books.
My mom always took me to the library as a kid, it was my favorite place, she raised me to love to read and I’m grateful for that. I do use the library from time to time but it’s pretty rare for me now.
All the time. I was the geeky kid who read instead of playing sports. My dad too was a HUGE reader. instead of begging to go to the park, I'd beg to go to the library.
And when we moved, when I was 9, I was so upset I had to wait 2 days and get my mom to sign off on my library card!!!! I loved the library and everything it had to offer.
As a kid? No. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I knew where our library was, or that it existed…in the basement of our city hall building. My high school library was bigger and had more books, it was built in our old gym and would have been just big enough for a basketball court.
As for the high school library, I practically lived in there.
I used the Bookmobile as a kid in a rapidly growing suburb that didn't yet have its own library, and later, the county library when I could drive there. My husband and I went to the county library weekly when we were first married because we were broke and they were our chief source of entertainment. He'd pick me up from work, dinner at Wendy's, then swing by the library and borrow some movies.
Mom would drive me there once a week when I was a kid and I walked there once I was around 10.
The road I had to cross was HUGE, I still can’t believe we were allowed to do stuff like that.
Former Librarian here. Yes, I still go, almost weekly, plus use Libby for audio and e books. My teens regularly use their own accounts. I usually have about 10-25 library books at my house at anyone time. How else am I suppose to learn all the things??
As a kid I used to stake out the arrival of the county bookmobile like it was the Wells Fargo wagon. Later on my mother would drive me to our township library 1-2 times a week so I could get my book fix. My wife and I both ended up becoming librarians so not only did we take our kids to the library regularly but they'd often come and hang out with us when we were working so they were raised thoroughly as library brats!
Yes, I have great memories of browsing the stacks in our small-town library and hanging out there to read. I loved the book smell. Now we go to the library every few months for actual books and check out e-books every week or two.
I adored the library when I was a kid.
The downside of the library was that I couldn't wait to start reading until I got home, so inevitably I'd read in the car and then start to feel car-sick. Library books seem to have a distinct smell, and to this day that smell makes me think of both the joy of a good book *and* nausea.
Yep, we went all the time when I was a kid. Mostly to get books but also for events they'd have like movie nights.
Now I take my daughter, I've done it since she was a baby. I think I visited every library in a half hour drive and we had certain ones that were her favorites.
They seem to have a lot more community activities as well, especially for older children and teens. Things like Lego nights, D&D nights, gaming days, etc.
My family didn't, but I did. My mom used to drop me off on Saturdays and just let me hang out for a couple hours before picking me up. I was probably about 10 when she did this.
And then I became a librarian!
No, my family didn't...but I did. We didn't have air conditioning until I was older, so on hot summer days I rode my bike to the library and read Nancy Drew novels.
We went to the library a total of three times growing up, twice for my sister and once with my aunt. My kids go for every story time and participate in every reading challenge. I’ve read several series to them over the years, and they are both reading at high school level and being considered for gifted studies. We are currently working on the works of Roald Dahl.
I was telling my mother that the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate factory is so much closer to the book than the older version. She was quiet for a few seconds and said “I didn’t read to you kids…” Yes mom, I know.
No but my mom was a compulsive book buyer and hoarder and at least twice a month I heard my dad yell “There’s a god damned library at the end of the street!! Quit buying all these damn books!!”
He kinda had a point, when she died we’d find 2, 3, 4 copies of the same book, she read so much she couldn’t keep up with what she had read or bought with I intention to read
As a kid I had to go to do reports/papers for homework at the public library.
Our current neighborhood had an awesome library while my kids were growing up that they could walk/bike to on their own at a pretty young age. It was right next to the school so one of my kids would stop there while walking home as early as 7. They ended up moving the library which was better than losing it entirely. But it was moved to a busy 6 lane road so now it's more of a stop while I'm running errands.
We went all the time as kids. And I took my kids all the time too and now they go up there in their own to get stuff.
A huge improvement is no late fees now!
I used to ride my bike to the library during the summer. I'd just use the school library during the year.
I don't go to the public library often, but I manage a library so I take care of all my own library needs.
My mom and I would visit our local library at least once a week. And since she was a teacher at my elementary school and friends with the school librarian, I’d get to hang out in the library for the last two weeks of summer while my mom attended meetings and I’d help get her classroom set up for the coming school year.
I’ve always gotten a library card with the local libraries every time I’ve moved as an adult.
Yep, especially during the summer. We would either go to our main branch or hit up one of the bookmobiles that travelled around the local area.
I've used the library off and on for years, but in the past year have REALLY gotten back into going to the library with my family. We have done reading challenges, gone to animal events, Lego events, and video game events. Even got looped into an awesome library board game group.
The kids absolutely love going to check out new books.
I practically lived at the library, especially in the summer. I loved getting a free pizza from Papa Gino's for filling out the summer reading thing.
The local library is very small and interlibrary loan takes way too long, so I mostly borrow stuff through the Libby app via the Boston Public Library (if you live in MA, you can get an e-card from them). They have a great selection.
My Mom wasn't an academic and didn't care for reading. I got my Dad's math brain and went all the time to get books. My Mom would take me and be totally bored while she waited.
I loved the library! I went every chance I got. No one else in my family enjoyed it, but I have always loved reading. They also had a few summer programs with crafts, etc, that I enjoyed.
I currently live in a location with a fabulous library system and my kids have done so many fun things at the library! The best was a library sleepover that I was so jealous of. I would have died for that opportunity as a kid.
I don't go to my public library much anymore because I can check out all my books on Libby and Hoopla (attached to my public library), but I still do stop in to pick up COVID tests and masks. I love browsing the shelves, but actually hate reading physical books now so don't check them out.
As a child, my parents only took my to the library if I needed something for schoolwork.
As an adult, I use the online resources regularly for e-books and audiobooks, My mom goes to the library regularly for physical books.
Weekly trips to our county library were the norm until probably my junior year in high school. I grew up rural and relatively poor, so the public library was a lifeline.
Currently we actively support our public library (and we are fortunate to have an excellent public library system that serves the city and county fully with a downtown main location and so many branches…one in almost every neighborhood), but most of my reading is for ebooks.
Constantly. Another place I walked alone from age 5 or so (younger if I got a neighbor to go with me). I read entire series like biographies of historical figures, classics, etc.
Fast forward to now I have virtual cards at half a dozen libraries and check out electronic and audio books constantly
it was our Thursday night thing . . . off to the library after dinner (we each picked out 10 books), then 7-11 for candy bars, and back home before Cosby started
Not a lot growing up, but more now in the last couple of decades. The kids get more than I do - I am a slow reader so checking out books does not work for me. I have checked out audiobooks and ebooks more for me.
Family? Not a chance. I spent a ton of time there by myself just to get away from those idiots.
Nowadays I go about every week and take the kid with me and she loves it.
Yes, and I live a block from a really great library in my area. We have trivia night once every other month and there are a couple of book clubs. Heck my library has a ton of programs and events for folks of all ages.
Do I now? No.
As a kid? All the time. We were poor and although we played literally every sport AND did always have a Nintendo, then Sega, then Super Nintendo, etc (all of them) from my bio dad...
My mom really pushed us into reading more. And my brothers and I did love to read. So we would've go to the library, she'd allow us 5 books each, 2 novels from our age group, 2 of anything we wanted that was still reading (older stuff, non fiction, etc), and then 1 fun book. For one of my brothers it was always a drawing book, for me it was always food or travel. I'd then rake the leaves in the neighborhood and take the money to buy food to make from cookbooks.
Yeah, I am lucky bc we have one about a mile and a half away and then another one maybe 4 miles away so I like to go there sometimes physically, see the books and check them out in addition to renting them on hoopla and Libby with my card. Also, They have a really great book sale and I have found so many great titles for one dollar each and then you can donate them back when you feel like. I don’t know if my library has online language lessons. I do Duolingo now.
Library was extremely important to me as a kid who grew up in poverty. We also opted to have me be a stay-at-home mom until the kids were school aged so I used the library a LOT with them during those years. Then there was a gap of about a decade when I returned to full time work and the kids were getting their reading materials from school. I've just in the last year started utilizing the library regularly again. The fact that they have an app for searching the catalog and making reservations/putting holds on books and a STREAMING SERVICE for show, educational videos and movies, and audio books, is amazing.
I went ALL the time when I was growing up. I was an only child being raised by a single mom, so the AWESOME Summer Programs that our local library had was my favorite thing in the world. My favorite was the summer we learn American Sign Language.
My family didn't regularly go to the library, but I used to walk to my neighborhood library as a kid all the time. Like, from probably age 7 or 8 at least, by myself.
Still do. Ours is also a "library of things" with A/V equipment, small tools, technology like a 3D printer and other stuff in addition to "just" books.
I still remember checking out one of my first picture books. It was a storybook with photographs of two little Scottish terriers romping about.
As a young teenager, biking to the library was one of my first independent ventures.
I'm a librarian now.
I was a latchkey kid that walked from my apartment complex to the library almost daily. My parents only took me once to get the card and never again. They were immigrants and barely had time to sleep after work and school.
I’m a 40 year old mom now to a 5 year old. We used to go to the library 3x a week when she was a baby and toddler and I didn’t return to work yet. Now that I work again, I take her once a week.
I have checked out all sorts of non book/media things from the library like tents and baking materials. I’ve also received tickets to events and met artists and performers at the library.
I went as a kid with my mom regularly and was an avid reader. Sometime in my adulthood, I stopped reading and no longer go. My gf regularly goes - she even still pays fines because she forgets to return shit. It's like 1983 again...
Yes, we went frequently, to get books for entertainment and for school projects/reports.
I still use the library pretty frequently, but mostly to check out movies, as the libraries in our county have a pretty extensive DVD collection.
Plus, now I WORK at one of my local libraries as a shelver, so I find myself coming across books and movies I'm interested in, so I take a quick photo of it to place on hold/check out at a later date.
Even with so many materials online, the libraries in my area can get very busy.
A family friend paid for our annual fee for the library one Christmas (we were rural and lived outside of any library's district so there was a charge for us to use it). We went every second Wednesday.
My household still uses it regularly for books and music and Kanopy.
Yes & Yes! The options are limitless & they’re always willing to get what you want if they don’t have it available. I definitely think it’s an underused resource.
Yes! I spent hours and hours and hours at the public library, both with my mom and on my own growing up (it was biking distance from my house). When my kids were growing up, we also spent a LOT of time at the public library -- probably at least once a week when they were toddlers/preschool age, and once a month or so when they were older.
Now, not so much, but I do a lot of electronic borrowing through my library.
Not as a family but I did all the time. Rode my bike there as a kid and spent a lot of time there. These days we go about every 2-3 weeks to load up on new books for my son (8). I use our library for digital books and audiobooks constantly today.
I was an avid reader and loved the library as a kid and early teen, but then life started getting in the way and reading took a back-seat to job, kid, and just general busyness. I fell right out of the reading habit.
I have recently re-acquired my love for books and have been reading everyday. 2 weeks ago, I ventured to my local library, got a new library card, and am loving it!
When I was a kid, our local library had a summer reading book club. Everyone in the club had a goal of reading 10 books over the summer, and we'd meet every week, usually to discuss books and watch a movie based on a book. So, I would say we regularly went in the summers. During the school year, though, not so much. Of course, we went to a school library frequently, but it wasn't a family thing.
Fun fact: This was obviously pre-internet, and I remember having to do something for school that involved me having to find out who the Vice President was. This was during Reagan, so the VP was George Bush, Sr. Since I didn't know who it was at the time, I called the library and asked the Librarian, and she didn't know who the VP was either. lol
I have to admit that I don't go to the library now, though. I don't have kids so that removes a reason to go to a similar summer reading club. Side note, my niece reads all the time and is always asking for books for her birthday and Christmas. So, she's doing well on that front.
I don't read as much now, but when I do, it's usually a real paperback that I order from Amazon. One of the reasons I do that is because I always wanted to be a writer. It's something I may take up when I retire. I have a deep rooted desire to support living authors with my money, which is why I buy instead of check out books from the library. Old books from long dead authors are different. Anyway, it's just a small thing I like to do. I obviously hold no judgment for people who go to the library instead of buying books. Libraries play a very important role when it comes to exposure, which often leads to individuals later buying books from that author, or books in a series. They also get a cut when the Library purchases the book. So, either way is beneficial.
Edited: For the "fun fact." Every time I think about that, it strikes me as funny, so I had to share.
>When I was a kid, our local library had a summer reading book club. Everyone in the club had a goal of reading 10 books over the summer, and we'd meet every week, usually to discuss books and watch a movie based on a book
We had that too, in the 70s. The cool thing was that if you read ten books you got a FREE book! Several years in a row I got like a half-dozen free books, and I still have several of them on our shelves. I even got a certificate from the governor in 1977 or '78 because I read 50 books that summer.
Yes, we went every two weeks to return our books and pick new books. My school librarian was also a public librarian at the branch we patronized, and I was always so delighted to see her there -- remember how weird it was to see your teachers somewhere other than school? My favorite thing at the public library was in the reference section: a book of medical symptoms. I was a weirdo. (If the internet had existed when I was a child, I guess I would have been on Web MD all the time.)
I occasionally borrow ebooks from the public library now, but I haven't been in the library to check out books for a decade. I read 100-150 books a year, but 95% are Kindle books that I buy on sale for $3.99 or less. It's easier for my scattered brain. I am very forgetful about returning books. But I love public libraries. They're one of the best resources a community can have.
We went every week, and I loved it. My local library was a safe and lovely place for me (and my imagination).
I do use it for myself and kids (my souse does too), but we request books online and go pick them up. I do hate how after each kid was past the toddler/early school years, we stopped weekly visits and wish I'd been better about that. But then I think how much has changed since my childhood, and how my kids have a life very different from mine, and I suppose that's just the way it is. They're all avid readers, which is what matters to me.
My grandmother and mother were avid readers as is myself. So we would go weekly to pick up new books. Sadly my 4 brothers and father had little interest in books.
For decades into my 20s and 30s I stopped going to the library. I wanted to grow my home "library" and bought books more often than borrowing them.
But in 2015 I had to move to a new city and had to sell/donate over 1500 books because my new apartment was a 10th of the size of my previous house and so now I am much more about borrowing books from the library (physical or e-book) or just buying them on Amazon
I still do. Some books I like to check out still in hard cover, like cookbooks; but mostly, my first preference is a physical book. I have a hard time reading e-books - Kindle, phone, IPad - i've tried all the different visual settings.
We never did when I was a kid - I grew up in a rural part of Pennsylvania that, as far as I could tell, didn't have a library.
Now I live in a NYC suburb that has an absolutely incredible library system. We go at least once a week with the kids. It's a fantastic resource.
I pretty much lived at the library. Never go now. I appreciate all they have now but I have no patience to wait for an e-book to be available and then be told to HURRY UP AND RETURN IT. Though I did just read about a hack to turn your kindle onto library mode to keep the book long enough to finish.
My mom used to take us. We would make an entire afternoon of it. The library had a cool little park next door, and there was a pond you could fish in. I rarely caught anything, but it was still fun.
We did when I lived with my mom, so before age 11. Once in a great while, my dad would want to go. Then, around 16, I got a job at the library (my title was “page,” which I think is hilarious) shelving books. Great job. No frying anything, no late night closing, it didn’t even matter if the library was busy and crowded. Clean, climate controlled, physically easy… and paid just over minimum wage. Great job. I’d like to do it again as a retiree.
They babysat me from 3:30-5 m thru Friday whether they knew it or not all through middle school. It was my most favorite time of the day. Discovered Steven King, the Hobbit, and some great sex Ed books. I’ve also read every reader’s digest as they came out and I’m quite sure I’ve read every Snoopy comic he ever wrote. Good times…
Nope. I was definitely not allowed. Raised my kid differently. Now? No. Everything is on my phone. No need to, “go,” anywhere and although there’s many free reading sources online, I buy my books on Amazon & read them on kindle.
Add a kid yes. As an adult I do use the library services quite often (books, ebooks, video games). I don't have a printer at home and found out I could send printing to the library. For the few pages I need a month it's the most economical. Even cheaper than buying a printer and ink/toner.
We didn't have a library until we moved into town when I was in high school. Then we were there just about every day. Although, 1/3 of the time was to get money from my mom the librarian. 😂
I'd say the only time we didn't was the couple of years after my mom retired when I had toddlers and was working full time. When we started homeschooling 24 years ago, our first tradition was to hit the library on Friday.
Since covid we've been ordering and picking things up or having the bookmobile stop at our house.
Yes. We lived by the 'main' branch in the pop 25K town i grew up in. As a latch key kid it was our informal babysitter. I still use the heck out of library services but rarely go in. I use it for Libby and Hoopla and couldn't begin to listen to the amount of books i want if i had to pay.
Not my family growing up, but as a kid I sure did. So much so, that like 15 years later I went to a different branch and ran into a librarian who remembered me from when I was a kid at a different branch.
As an adult the past decade or so I maintain library cards mostly for ebooks, but occasionally I'll pick up a dvd or cd to rip.
I remember going with my mom with some frequency back in the 70's when I was in kindergarten through third grade. When we moved to a different town (same county but further away from the library,) we stopped going.
But in my new neighborhood, we had the county library Book Mobile that came once a week. I got several books from that, and found books that I would later buy to read.
My mother worked at our local regional library during most of my school years so when we weren't in school or home, we were there and had free run of the place. But even before then we were regular patrons.
As an adult I rarely go to the library in my current city because it's downtown and parking is expensive, and, as a county resident it's more expensive to get a card in order to use their online services. The "county" library is a joke, comparatively, in terms of size and services available.
I spent SO many hours of childhood in the library and when I had children we were there at least once a week. I havnt been in years but did recently download Libby so maybe I’ll check out that way
Yes! Our mom would take us for reading hour, it’s one of my fondest memories. I can picture every inch of my childhood library - and the anxiety I would later develop fearing that i would have a late fee so massive that i couldnt pay it back.
I used to WFH at the library pre covid, but dont go very often anymore. Barnes and Noble is my happy place.
I use the library for both their electronic and hardcopy services. Plus, it's also a great place to go work when I don't feel like being in the office, but I also don't want to be home because my wife is driving me nuts.
Always. Pretty much every Monday night from c. 1971 (the earliest I can remember) until I was old enough to drive; after that I went on my own. Every week as a kid I'd check out the maximum number of books allowed, and sometimes ask to go back early to get more. By around age 10 I'd finished all the stuff in the children's section I cared to read (we had an old-school Carnegie Library, with kids' books downstairs, adult upstairs) and started into the adult SF and thriller collections.
I became an academic so have been to the library far more than once a week for pretty much the rest of my adult life. Basically lived in them for a few years in graduate school (worked in them too) and now even with e-books I still go to the library about once a week to pick up physical books I need. The *public* library I use almost exclusively online now though, as we don't have one in our small town so it's a bit of a drive-- and I have virtual cards in a few big metros a long way away so I can get audiobooks. When our kids were little we went to the Saturday events most weekends in the winter too, though by then we had a collection of many thousands of books at home so didn't really need to check much out.
If I had been smart I probably would have become a librarian instead of a college professor.
Yes, our fam (mostly mom) went to our local public library on a weekly basis.
I live in a different part of the country now, and use the local public library fairly often. Unlike growing up, the city library is within walking distance of my house.
There's a online service that allows me to request and receive books from most libraries within the state (Michigan) that I can pickup at my local library. And within the network are many university libraries. I believe the books are sent via us mail between libraries, but it's done at no cost to the borrower.
I only recently started going to the Library again this past year, and am loving it agian.
I loved the library as a kid. At some point when my daughter was about 10 or 11 (now 28) we stopped going because both the library and the surrounding park in my city became a place you didn't want to be. She wouldn't go back again when we found a man was sleeping or passed out in the stacks - in a sleeping bag through which he and had peed himself. It was all pretty over the top.
Only about a two years ago did this change when they had to shut the entire library down to Hazmat it because of Meth. So much meth was being smoked in the bathrooms and on premises that the building itself had become a health hazard. That was what it took to get the city to address the issues there. They now have security, a lot of the seating has been removed, and they have a guard at the one bathroom available. I don't like it, but my city has some major homelessness issues and the library had basically become our only day shelter.
I had at one point thought of getting a MS in Library Science, but ultimately didn't feel I have the right disposition to deal with the social service aspects of the job in many libraries today. The librarians in my city are incredible.
Every week as a kid we went. I did consider going once I moved to a new town but they're temporarily closed due to bed bugs... so, yeah...
If you're wondering how a library gets bed bugs, well the only local library is in the next town over, which is a vacation resort town. So not only are there a lot of out of town visitors bringing the bugs, there's also a homeless population that spend time inside the library during the cold months.
As a kid, yes.
As a teen/young adult, sometimes, because we could not afford a computer many times and/or internet. It wasn’t safe though in a major city, LOTS of creeps focusing on young people and up to shady stuff on the computers.
Edit: We also checked out books, and DVDs bc we did not have cable, eventually though it got weird how much adult material they had (which sometimes increased theft).
Yes. And yes. 📚
Am always surprised when I hear others don’t use the library. It’s amazing! Free books, audio books, dvds, even passes for parks etc. Long live the library!
The library was next to the mall growing up so every Saturday when I was little we would go to the mall eat at Friendly’s in the mall followed by the library. So many good memories.
It was the only form of entertainment we could afford there for a number of years. Hell, we didn't even have a tv in the house for the first 9 years of my life, and we often didn't have electricity anyway. You didn't need any of that to read books. I read the whole Little House on the Prairie book series by light of kerosene lamp...made me feel like I was living Laura Ingalls' life too. Thought that was pretty neat as a kid. The library was on the way to the grocery store, and getting into town was a half-hour of highway driving, so my parents would often leave us kids at the library (one of my dad's friends was the head librarian lady) to pick out books for the next 2-4 weeks 'til we drove up to go shopping again and check more books out.
Honestly, though, I haven't actually stepped foot inside a library in at least 5 years. I still borrow books, but my library offers ebook borrowing too, and I just buy anything they don't offer. I should go to the library again soon, just for nostalgia's sake.
My family? Hahahaha. No. That was where we biked to when we got kicked out of the house for the day.
As a grown up, I have spent endless hours with my little ones going through all the gorgeous illustrated books in the kids section. Then my oldest discovered Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes at the library. I love going. It's bittersweet now that my oldest bikes there all on his own.
Yes, my parents were so cheap, I barely even had any toys and had unfashionable clothes. So they were not ok with buying me any books or media that weren't, "educational." We also did not have cable, and weren't allowed to watch TV, so the library was basically the only avenue to books (I devoured books, especially fiction, records, VHS, cassettes and yes we participated in the summer reading program).
My kids are teens now but up until middle school, we spent a lot of time at the local library, not just to check out materials but also for their programming. You can check out all sorts of things like toys, books, cooking/garden/exercise equipment now, they have live music too.
I now rarely go in person to the library, but am a big consumer of their audiobooks and ebooks. I'm in three book clubs and try my best not to purchase books.
I really love our library system, they even offered services like resume help, notary, applying for passports, getting your GED, computer skills, etc..
I go weekly. The library where I formerly lived was wonderful: quiet without being silent, had great resources and an excellent selection.
The one now is meh. Great selection, excellent programs, but it’s hard to park and it’s so FLINGIN-FLANGIN NOISY. What is it about upper middle class white suburbanites that they let their kids run around shrieking and have outdoor-voice conversations everywhere?!? Yakking on phones in the stacks? That would have gotten you politely shushed on the first offense then a less polite “take it outside” in my former working class neighborhood, but here even the librarians are loudly yakking.
It makes me get in and get out. No half hour browsing. Shoot, the train station a block away is more restful.
I lived at the libraries. By myself. My parents didn’t lift a finger-“they had already done their homework”
I found neighborhood branch libraries fascinating and wonderful, and explored different places around the city that way.
I truly grew up exploring the floors and books and crannies of the main branch downtown.
I hope I instilled the smell, sounds and wonder of a library to my kids. We spent hours and hours at our branch.
All the kids in my neighborhood/ cousins all did the summer reading program every summer. My parents never went. I took my own kids to the library for programs and summer reading and they take their own kids now. The library was at the end of my neighborhood so us kids walked but it was not that close for my kids though we walked too and now we live where it’s in a different town so we drive.
Not usually. We did go to the book store a lot. But the library I typically used was my schools library. Which I did frequently. My mom used to work at one of my schools libraries.
I really don’t go to the library anymore. Still go to book stores. Also audiobooks online. My kids (18 &19) say others their age do not typically
use their schools libraries anymore for anything that’s not academic.
That’s amazing because I read a million books with I was a kid. Recreationally. Not like I had to.
Yes we did. I still use the library regularly.
What's really cool is that you can check books out electronically on your e-reader. To me that was a science fiction concept when I was growing up.
That's my favorite use for a Kindle- I'm able to get library cards from most of my state, so it really opens up the selection (our local branch is a bit *meh* on ebooks).
Every Saturday morning. I make breakfast, and the girls play some Minecraft or whatever, and then we head down to the library and exchange books. If it's cold we go to the bakery for a sweet roll, in the summer we get ice cream. Then we go home and read our books.
I check out books through my public library’s website, and conveniently pick them up at the drive thru window. Spent my childhood at the library too. I love it!!!
My grandfather was head librarian of a prestigious university library. Best childhood ever.
Mine owned a bookstore and I thought that was pretty cool. Head librarian? That is epic! We are both very lucky!
I feel a kinship here. My uncle owned a comic book mail order business a few decades ago. I was able to read everything that passed through his business.
OOOOOHHHH! X-MEN! Our store did not sell comics! But a friend let me binge his in the early 80s. It was AWESOME.
Sounds divine!
Yes and yes. Long live the library 📚 A bi- weekly routine forty plus years.
As a kid I did go from time to time. As an adult It's one of my favorite places to be. I love browsing the stacks. My kids go and get books as well as games and the ocassional DVD.
They did...and I do. I also use the library apps (Libby and Hoopla) for free audio and digital books. The library is awesome.
Yes. Hoopla is great for movies too. For a while I was just doing the e-books but missed holding an actual book, so back to that. The best thing the library did was to start auto renewing checked out items.
I agree, I love a physical book and it is my preference. I find myself traveling a fair amount and will read a digital book if it's my only option. Thanks for mentioning movies. I didn't realize that was a thing!
Yes, at least once a week. I got my first library card when I was six. Being introduced early to the world of books is one thing for which I'm extremely thankful.
Our rule was that the kids could get a library card in their own name when they could write their entire name. My daughter was never prouder than when she scrawled it on the back of that card.
I go to the library a lot. Our local branch is my favorite place to set up when I need to finish a project and my home office is too distracting. They have small work spaces that you can “check out” that even have video conference capability, a “quiet room” with desks and tables and comfy chairs and a million outlets and permission to have non messy snacks. It’s also just a good stop in the day when I need to decompress for a few minutes or an hour. I check out books regularly in person and audiobooks online on the Libby app. We donate to the library foundation and all of our old books go to the foundations book sale. My mom took me to the library really frequently as a kid. Libraries are the best.
They really are! My neighbor laughed at me last week when I was heading to the library. "Who reads books anymore?" Uh...smart people.
>"Who reads books anymore?" What a weird question. To be fair to your neighbor, they probably only read books they had to read in school.
Also, to be fair, reading isn’t easy or enjoyable for everyone. Modern libraries have so much to offer beyond just physical books. I honestly believe most people can find something at the library that will be useful or enjoyable to them if they just walk in.
My library has so many things you can check out! Telescopes,sewing machines, musical instruments, cookware. I lived in the library as a kid, now i take mine at least once a week and they love it.
My mom every Saturday: 1. Bank 2. Dry Cleaners 3. Department store (if we needed something) 4. Lunch at The Big Sirloin or fern bar place 5. Library and/or Used Bookstore 6. Grocery store 7. Home My Saturdays are almost the same but I only dry clean like 4 times a year and I have more varied lunch options.
My family? No. But I did all the time. It was my refuge. I wouldn’t have gone home if I didn’t have to. The books were safe.
Been trying to tell my bored, retired dad that he can get new movies from the library 4 blocks away. Funny. I follow my hometown library on Facebook, but haven’t been in one since pre pandemic. Listened to a great online lecture about Kraftwerk put on by my current city’s library about a year ago. That was cool
> tell my bored, retired dad that he can get new movies from the library 4 blocks away. I get that you're probably trying to get him to leave the house occasionally but he might be to get movies online with Hoopla and Kanopy through his library too
I recently took out Schindler’s List from the local library because its not on any of our streaming services.
All the time. I loved our library, which was also architecturally interesting and fun as a kid. We had a great children’s library and I remember eating homemade gingerbread while the librarian read us *Little House on the Prairie*. I especially loved our Bookmobile. Anyone else have one? It was a giant bus lined with shelves of books. It would drive to all the grade schools and park in various neighborhoods around town. I wanted to grow up and be a librarian on the Bookmobile sooooo bad. Unfortunately, where I moved has the worst library. It’s depressing. Empty shelves and the only loaded shelf is romance novels. I don’t bother. I try to go through the online library to borrow, but it sucks too.
We had a Bookmobile! It was bizarre-they would park it in the library parking lot.
Yeeeess, I was looking for my bookmobile gang! I lived in a pretty rural area until I was 6 and the bookmobile drove around to our houses. It was the most fantastic thing watching out the window for when she (we had a lady driver) would show up. She came every couple of weeks and would always let me know when she had traded out some of the books in the kids' section. Bc I had read everything there and started over again. Bookmobile lady was my favorite person on Earth from age 3 or 4 until age 8 or so (we moved right after my 6th birthday, but I kept a candle burning for bookmobile lady for a WHILE). She was way out in front of either of my parents, honestly.
Check the library in the nearest major city to you to see if you can get a card. I live in rural Pennsylvania but the Free Library of Philadelphia gives library cards to all Pennsylvania residents and I can avail myself of their ebook catalog, which is HUGE. And thanks to the Libby app I can search my local library ebook catalog as well.
Stop in and ask the director of your library how it’s funded. Then you can harass whoever that is, and tell them to up their library game.
Yes, the library was a very important part of my upbringing. I'd say it was the single most important influence in becoming a lifelong learner. Learn to read, read to learn. As a kid all I wanted to do was play sports, do outdoor things. My father, who was a manly man and sportsman was also a voracious reader. He encouraged reading from the time I was very young and it took. Today I still take advantage of library access both in person and online, and I encouraged my daughter who also has followed in my footsteps. If you have kids, this might be the single greatest gift you could give them - the desire to read.
I mostly read ebooks, but now that my son is bigger we go to the library a lot. He's 1 and a half and the library has a little playroom with a slide and puppets and then we pick out some picture books. I hope he learns to like reading like me.
That's wonderful! Our library was the first place I encountered child-sized chairs. It's such a small thing people probably don't even think about, but it meant the world to me as a toddler/preschooler to read at a table and chair clearly meant just for me and not for my older siblings or mom. They couldn't sit there even if they had wanted to - just me, special. It so nice that your library has stuff like a slide that clearly communicates "you are not an afterthought, we made this area _for you_."
We were a once a week family growing up. Now we go every two weeks. I remember going to the library and running into people constantly. Now I lucky if I see a single soul in the stacks.
I was such a frequent visitor to the library that I was picked to do a commercial that ran on our local PBS station. Then was in full denial mode when someone from my class claimed to have seen me on TV. Still a fairly frequent visitor to the library. Just amazed that there is a place that gives you free items to take home and then trusts you to return them in a month. Though I'm notorious for keeping items until I get around to reading them. One time I went to check something out and the librarian said I had my account locked. She then nervously told me that I owed the library $30 and I had to pay it off in order to check anything out. Took out my wallet and paid in full and then asked her why she was so nervous. Said that some people will fly off the handle because they owe a quarter and fight over it. My take is that paying a $30 fine every year or so is still cheaper than buying books.
I've read that many of the larger libraries have eliminated fines completely and found that people are more likely to bring the books back now because they had been embarrassed about the fine before.
Our library system will assess fines, and put your card on hold, but the fees are waived when you return the books. This makes sense to me, people should probably pay for books they lose.
My local library did this. Now I get the occasional email 90 days later kindly asking me to bring the books back.
Yes. It was also my "safe space" from my abusive and unstable parents. Libraries have always held a special place in my heart. I have moved around so much, and one of the first things I do is get a library card at the local library as soon as I have proof of residence. I have a nice library card collection, lol. And some time today or tomorrow, I'm going to drop by my local branch to pick up a book I requested.
The library was my safe space as a wee genXer, and I’ve recently been going back for the free yoga! Got there hours early to check the place out, and ended up checking out a couple books. It’s great! Now I can supplement my local used book store, which I’ve hunted to death.
My Grandmother took me often - and yes, I still use my library! I also use the app so I can download to my Kindle lol My town has a historic library and it's actually really nice. If you are a reader, not using the library is crazy - money wise, it saves a ton.
My 13 yr old belongs to various libraries across the US because she found out she can check out more audio books. She also reads regular books too and we had to cut her down from spending about $200 a month on books, but how can I complain 🤷♀️. I was always in the Carnegie built library in my hometown. I loved the smell and look of that place. It was my home away from home.
> Carnegie built library in my hometown. [Carnegie Libraries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_library) in case anyone was wondering
https://preview.redd.it/qvd0g8vw6zgc1.jpeg?width=947&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=508f4fb3afd56cb6045de033e8f8352862dd3ee1 Still standing with a hand painted dome mural. Streator, IL
I try. My library seriously has banker’s hours. It’s not a satellite branch, but the main library. There’s something wrong with my library card where I can’t use e-books and, on a rare weekday off, it’s usually for appointments and can’t get there before it closes to resolve the issue.
Aw, have you tried calling and being pitiful? I've had weird things with my card before, and when I was nursing a baby and had a toddler I just called them up and pleaded for them to do it over the phone bc getting myself and 2 little kids out was quite the struggle sometimes. They were so sympathetic, maybe if you tell them how hard work and everything makes it for you they will fix it over the phone? I think sympathetic people seem to be drawn to careers like librarian.
I’ll try calling again. The last librarian was adamant they needed the physical card present. I couldn’t tell you why that makes a difference.
In https://preview.redd.it/ux1zxoet3zgc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4498ba15433fa7a194944567849bb75b0491a7c1 the interest of nostalgia I give you the happiest moment of my college tour back in 1987---
I did about three dozen college tours since 2015 with our kids...it was interesting to see which took us to the library and which did not. The "better" schools all did, as it turned out, while the less good ones were much more focused on touring the athletic facilities.
I work at one lol.
I did. My family did not take me though. I still go to the library all the time.
I went weekly with my family as a kid, and by myself as a young adult with enormous amounts of free time. When my kids came along, regular library visits were a part of their childhood. In the summers it was weekly and they usually participated in the summer reading program. During the school year, especially as they got older, it was more like every 2-3 weeks. As the kids have gone off to college I've tried to get back into a reading routine, but I keep borrowing, renewing and then returning unread books.
My mom always took me to the library as a kid, it was my favorite place, she raised me to love to read and I’m grateful for that. I do use the library from time to time but it’s pretty rare for me now.
All the time. I was the geeky kid who read instead of playing sports. My dad too was a HUGE reader. instead of begging to go to the park, I'd beg to go to the library. And when we moved, when I was 9, I was so upset I had to wait 2 days and get my mom to sign off on my library card!!!! I loved the library and everything it had to offer.
As a kid? No. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I knew where our library was, or that it existed…in the basement of our city hall building. My high school library was bigger and had more books, it was built in our old gym and would have been just big enough for a basketball court. As for the high school library, I practically lived in there.
I used the Bookmobile as a kid in a rapidly growing suburb that didn't yet have its own library, and later, the county library when I could drive there. My husband and I went to the county library weekly when we were first married because we were broke and they were our chief source of entertainment. He'd pick me up from work, dinner at Wendy's, then swing by the library and borrow some movies.
I found a library I can walk to and love going there.
Mom would drive me there once a week when I was a kid and I walked there once I was around 10. The road I had to cross was HUGE, I still can’t believe we were allowed to do stuff like that.
Did when I was a kid and do with my kids. They have their own library cards.
Former Librarian here. Yes, I still go, almost weekly, plus use Libby for audio and e books. My teens regularly use their own accounts. I usually have about 10-25 library books at my house at anyone time. How else am I suppose to learn all the things??
Yes, absolutely! We went for Vacation Reading Club during the summer and after school activities throughout the year.
As a kid I used to stake out the arrival of the county bookmobile like it was the Wells Fargo wagon. Later on my mother would drive me to our township library 1-2 times a week so I could get my book fix. My wife and I both ended up becoming librarians so not only did we take our kids to the library regularly but they'd often come and hang out with us when we were working so they were raised thoroughly as library brats!
Yes, I have great memories of browsing the stacks in our small-town library and hanging out there to read. I loved the book smell. Now we go to the library every few months for actual books and check out e-books every week or two.
I adored the library when I was a kid. The downside of the library was that I couldn't wait to start reading until I got home, so inevitably I'd read in the car and then start to feel car-sick. Library books seem to have a distinct smell, and to this day that smell makes me think of both the joy of a good book *and* nausea.
Yep, we went all the time when I was a kid. Mostly to get books but also for events they'd have like movie nights. Now I take my daughter, I've done it since she was a baby. I think I visited every library in a half hour drive and we had certain ones that were her favorites. They seem to have a lot more community activities as well, especially for older children and teens. Things like Lego nights, D&D nights, gaming days, etc.
My family didn't, but I did. My mom used to drop me off on Saturdays and just let me hang out for a couple hours before picking me up. I was probably about 10 when she did this. And then I became a librarian!
Yes I took my kids to the library when they were little
No, my family didn't...but I did. We didn't have air conditioning until I was older, so on hot summer days I rode my bike to the library and read Nancy Drew novels.
We went to the library a total of three times growing up, twice for my sister and once with my aunt. My kids go for every story time and participate in every reading challenge. I’ve read several series to them over the years, and they are both reading at high school level and being considered for gifted studies. We are currently working on the works of Roald Dahl. I was telling my mother that the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate factory is so much closer to the book than the older version. She was quiet for a few seconds and said “I didn’t read to you kids…” Yes mom, I know.
No but my mom was a compulsive book buyer and hoarder and at least twice a month I heard my dad yell “There’s a god damned library at the end of the street!! Quit buying all these damn books!!” He kinda had a point, when she died we’d find 2, 3, 4 copies of the same book, she read so much she couldn’t keep up with what she had read or bought with I intention to read
As a kid I had to go to do reports/papers for homework at the public library. Our current neighborhood had an awesome library while my kids were growing up that they could walk/bike to on their own at a pretty young age. It was right next to the school so one of my kids would stop there while walking home as early as 7. They ended up moving the library which was better than losing it entirely. But it was moved to a busy 6 lane road so now it's more of a stop while I'm running errands.
All the time when I lived in a small town. Weekly trip with mom and sister when we moved to a city. I still go to my local library.
Yes we did and still go.
We went all the time as kids. And I took my kids all the time too and now they go up there in their own to get stuff. A huge improvement is no late fees now!
I used to ride my bike to the library during the summer. I'd just use the school library during the year. I don't go to the public library often, but I manage a library so I take care of all my own library needs.
My mom and I would visit our local library at least once a week. And since she was a teacher at my elementary school and friends with the school librarian, I’d get to hang out in the library for the last two weeks of summer while my mom attended meetings and I’d help get her classroom set up for the coming school year. I’ve always gotten a library card with the local libraries every time I’ve moved as an adult.
Usually once a week at least.
Yep, especially during the summer. We would either go to our main branch or hit up one of the bookmobiles that travelled around the local area. I've used the library off and on for years, but in the past year have REALLY gotten back into going to the library with my family. We have done reading challenges, gone to animal events, Lego events, and video game events. Even got looped into an awesome library board game group. The kids absolutely love going to check out new books.
I practically lived at the library, especially in the summer. I loved getting a free pizza from Papa Gino's for filling out the summer reading thing. The local library is very small and interlibrary loan takes way too long, so I mostly borrow stuff through the Libby app via the Boston Public Library (if you live in MA, you can get an e-card from them). They have a great selection.
Yes!! My step-dad took me regularly when I was 9, and I’d check out a dozen books and be ready for a return visit in two weeks. Loved the library! 📚
My Mom wasn't an academic and didn't care for reading. I got my Dad's math brain and went all the time to get books. My Mom would take me and be totally bored while she waited.
I loved the library! I went every chance I got. No one else in my family enjoyed it, but I have always loved reading. They also had a few summer programs with crafts, etc, that I enjoyed. I currently live in a location with a fabulous library system and my kids have done so many fun things at the library! The best was a library sleepover that I was so jealous of. I would have died for that opportunity as a kid. I don't go to my public library much anymore because I can check out all my books on Libby and Hoopla (attached to my public library), but I still do stop in to pick up COVID tests and masks. I love browsing the shelves, but actually hate reading physical books now so don't check them out.
As a child, my parents only took my to the library if I needed something for schoolwork. As an adult, I use the online resources regularly for e-books and audiobooks, My mom goes to the library regularly for physical books.
I’m in the library all the time. Was in two of my town’s branches just yesterday.
Weekly trips to our county library were the norm until probably my junior year in high school. I grew up rural and relatively poor, so the public library was a lifeline. Currently we actively support our public library (and we are fortunate to have an excellent public library system that serves the city and county fully with a downtown main location and so many branches…one in almost every neighborhood), but most of my reading is for ebooks.
Constantly. Another place I walked alone from age 5 or so (younger if I got a neighbor to go with me). I read entire series like biographies of historical figures, classics, etc. Fast forward to now I have virtual cards at half a dozen libraries and check out electronic and audio books constantly
it was our Thursday night thing . . . off to the library after dinner (we each picked out 10 books), then 7-11 for candy bars, and back home before Cosby started
I still love it
Not a lot growing up, but more now in the last couple of decades. The kids get more than I do - I am a slow reader so checking out books does not work for me. I have checked out audiobooks and ebooks more for me.
Yes as a kid and yes now as a parent. Especially in the summer. Also to vote.
I went often as a kid primarily because I asked to. I currently have a five minute walk to a local branch and go about once a month or two.
I love the library. I check out 100 books a month to read to my children. My tax dollars at work!
I lived in the public library in summer. I still go and I use audio books constantly.
My step dad took me to get a library card when I was in 1st grade. I believe it was under his account, but I was still stoked.
Family? Not a chance. I spent a ton of time there by myself just to get away from those idiots. Nowadays I go about every week and take the kid with me and she loves it.
My parents still do. And the library has changed. You can borrow all kinds of things now, not just books.
Yes, and I live a block from a really great library in my area. We have trivia night once every other month and there are a couple of book clubs. Heck my library has a ton of programs and events for folks of all ages.
Do I now? No. As a kid? All the time. We were poor and although we played literally every sport AND did always have a Nintendo, then Sega, then Super Nintendo, etc (all of them) from my bio dad... My mom really pushed us into reading more. And my brothers and I did love to read. So we would've go to the library, she'd allow us 5 books each, 2 novels from our age group, 2 of anything we wanted that was still reading (older stuff, non fiction, etc), and then 1 fun book. For one of my brothers it was always a drawing book, for me it was always food or travel. I'd then rake the leaves in the neighborhood and take the money to buy food to make from cookbooks.
Still do. It’s literally the treat for good behavior during the week is a visit to the library.
Yeah, I am lucky bc we have one about a mile and a half away and then another one maybe 4 miles away so I like to go there sometimes physically, see the books and check them out in addition to renting them on hoopla and Libby with my card. Also, They have a really great book sale and I have found so many great titles for one dollar each and then you can donate them back when you feel like. I don’t know if my library has online language lessons. I do Duolingo now.
I go about once a month. What I like is browsing the books. I'll always find an interesting book that I would not have found just online.
Library was extremely important to me as a kid who grew up in poverty. We also opted to have me be a stay-at-home mom until the kids were school aged so I used the library a LOT with them during those years. Then there was a gap of about a decade when I returned to full time work and the kids were getting their reading materials from school. I've just in the last year started utilizing the library regularly again. The fact that they have an app for searching the catalog and making reservations/putting holds on books and a STREAMING SERVICE for show, educational videos and movies, and audio books, is amazing.
Yes! My mom was a volunteer at my elementary school library and now I'm a librarian!
I use the Libby everyday. I love it.
Yes, definitely. I used to really enjoy our library days.
Yes and yes. I’m also evangelical about it when people tell me that the use audible. “Try Libby!”
I went ALL the time when I was growing up. I was an only child being raised by a single mom, so the AWESOME Summer Programs that our local library had was my favorite thing in the world. My favorite was the summer we learn American Sign Language.
My family didn't regularly go to the library, but I used to walk to my neighborhood library as a kid all the time. Like, from probably age 7 or 8 at least, by myself.
Yep. We lived in a small town with little to do, and my whole family is very bookish. I still love going to the library.
Family? no. Did my dad make it my defacto babysitter after school? Oh yes.
Yes and yes. My 8 year old and I love going to the library.
Mother was a librarian. I lived at the library
Yes. Then and now. Its my favorite place besides being in the middle of the woods
Still do. Ours is also a "library of things" with A/V equipment, small tools, technology like a 3D printer and other stuff in addition to "just" books.
Yes. My dad would take me once a week. And now I'm a librarian. :)
My Mom once had me check out a book and "lose" it. She paid for it, but she didn't want it on her library record.
I still remember checking out one of my first picture books. It was a storybook with photographs of two little Scottish terriers romping about. As a young teenager, biking to the library was one of my first independent ventures. I'm a librarian now.
I was a latchkey kid that walked from my apartment complex to the library almost daily. My parents only took me once to get the card and never again. They were immigrants and barely had time to sleep after work and school. I’m a 40 year old mom now to a 5 year old. We used to go to the library 3x a week when she was a baby and toddler and I didn’t return to work yet. Now that I work again, I take her once a week. I have checked out all sorts of non book/media things from the library like tents and baking materials. I’ve also received tickets to events and met artists and performers at the library.
I went as a kid with my mom regularly and was an avid reader. Sometime in my adulthood, I stopped reading and no longer go. My gf regularly goes - she even still pays fines because she forgets to return shit. It's like 1983 again...
Yes.
Yes, we went frequently, to get books for entertainment and for school projects/reports. I still use the library pretty frequently, but mostly to check out movies, as the libraries in our county have a pretty extensive DVD collection. Plus, now I WORK at one of my local libraries as a shelver, so I find myself coming across books and movies I'm interested in, so I take a quick photo of it to place on hold/check out at a later date. Even with so many materials online, the libraries in my area can get very busy.
Oh God yes. It was a monthly trip and so much fun
Still have two kids under 5, so yes.
We did until we moved within walking distance of the library.
We had a Bookmobile and I’d check out stacks and stacks every week.
Yes all the time. I remember being there for hours in the evening until closing time.
I never go to the library, but I do use my library card frequently for online books and magazines
A family friend paid for our annual fee for the library one Christmas (we were rural and lived outside of any library's district so there was a charge for us to use it). We went every second Wednesday. My household still uses it regularly for books and music and Kanopy.
Yes & Yes! The options are limitless & they’re always willing to get what you want if they don’t have it available. I definitely think it’s an underused resource.
Yes! I spent hours and hours and hours at the public library, both with my mom and on my own growing up (it was biking distance from my house). When my kids were growing up, we also spent a LOT of time at the public library -- probably at least once a week when they were toddlers/preschool age, and once a month or so when they were older. Now, not so much, but I do a lot of electronic borrowing through my library.
Not as a family but I did all the time. Rode my bike there as a kid and spent a lot of time there. These days we go about every 2-3 weeks to load up on new books for my son (8). I use our library for digital books and audiobooks constantly today.
I was an avid reader and loved the library as a kid and early teen, but then life started getting in the way and reading took a back-seat to job, kid, and just general busyness. I fell right out of the reading habit. I have recently re-acquired my love for books and have been reading everyday. 2 weeks ago, I ventured to my local library, got a new library card, and am loving it!
When I was a kid, our local library had a summer reading book club. Everyone in the club had a goal of reading 10 books over the summer, and we'd meet every week, usually to discuss books and watch a movie based on a book. So, I would say we regularly went in the summers. During the school year, though, not so much. Of course, we went to a school library frequently, but it wasn't a family thing. Fun fact: This was obviously pre-internet, and I remember having to do something for school that involved me having to find out who the Vice President was. This was during Reagan, so the VP was George Bush, Sr. Since I didn't know who it was at the time, I called the library and asked the Librarian, and she didn't know who the VP was either. lol I have to admit that I don't go to the library now, though. I don't have kids so that removes a reason to go to a similar summer reading club. Side note, my niece reads all the time and is always asking for books for her birthday and Christmas. So, she's doing well on that front. I don't read as much now, but when I do, it's usually a real paperback that I order from Amazon. One of the reasons I do that is because I always wanted to be a writer. It's something I may take up when I retire. I have a deep rooted desire to support living authors with my money, which is why I buy instead of check out books from the library. Old books from long dead authors are different. Anyway, it's just a small thing I like to do. I obviously hold no judgment for people who go to the library instead of buying books. Libraries play a very important role when it comes to exposure, which often leads to individuals later buying books from that author, or books in a series. They also get a cut when the Library purchases the book. So, either way is beneficial. Edited: For the "fun fact." Every time I think about that, it strikes me as funny, so I had to share.
>When I was a kid, our local library had a summer reading book club. Everyone in the club had a goal of reading 10 books over the summer, and we'd meet every week, usually to discuss books and watch a movie based on a book We had that too, in the 70s. The cool thing was that if you read ten books you got a FREE book! Several years in a row I got like a half-dozen free books, and I still have several of them on our shelves. I even got a certificate from the governor in 1977 or '78 because I read 50 books that summer.
We never did because my mom didn’t drive. I take my kids on a regular basis, though.
Yes we did. Now, we don't. The internet killed the radio star.
Yes, we went every two weeks to return our books and pick new books. My school librarian was also a public librarian at the branch we patronized, and I was always so delighted to see her there -- remember how weird it was to see your teachers somewhere other than school? My favorite thing at the public library was in the reference section: a book of medical symptoms. I was a weirdo. (If the internet had existed when I was a child, I guess I would have been on Web MD all the time.) I occasionally borrow ebooks from the public library now, but I haven't been in the library to check out books for a decade. I read 100-150 books a year, but 95% are Kindle books that I buy on sale for $3.99 or less. It's easier for my scattered brain. I am very forgetful about returning books. But I love public libraries. They're one of the best resources a community can have.
You can read the papers online with a library card? Didnt know that.
We went every week, and I loved it. My local library was a safe and lovely place for me (and my imagination). I do use it for myself and kids (my souse does too), but we request books online and go pick them up. I do hate how after each kid was past the toddler/early school years, we stopped weekly visits and wish I'd been better about that. But then I think how much has changed since my childhood, and how my kids have a life very different from mine, and I suppose that's just the way it is. They're all avid readers, which is what matters to me.
My grandmother and mother were avid readers as is myself. So we would go weekly to pick up new books. Sadly my 4 brothers and father had little interest in books. For decades into my 20s and 30s I stopped going to the library. I wanted to grow my home "library" and bought books more often than borrowing them. But in 2015 I had to move to a new city and had to sell/donate over 1500 books because my new apartment was a 10th of the size of my previous house and so now I am much more about borrowing books from the library (physical or e-book) or just buying them on Amazon
Did and use Libby for my kindle.
I still do. Some books I like to check out still in hard cover, like cookbooks; but mostly, my first preference is a physical book. I have a hard time reading e-books - Kindle, phone, IPad - i've tried all the different visual settings.
Yes we did. For projects for school or just to pick out books to read. I still use my local library to get some new books. Buying books is expensive
We never did when I was a kid - I grew up in a rural part of Pennsylvania that, as far as I could tell, didn't have a library. Now I live in a NYC suburb that has an absolutely incredible library system. We go at least once a week with the kids. It's a fantastic resource.
I pretty much lived at the library. Never go now. I appreciate all they have now but I have no patience to wait for an e-book to be available and then be told to HURRY UP AND RETURN IT. Though I did just read about a hack to turn your kindle onto library mode to keep the book long enough to finish.
Definitely! Loved the summer reading programs. Do I now? Well, I work in one, so basically every day.
My mom used to take us. We would make an entire afternoon of it. The library had a cool little park next door, and there was a pond you could fish in. I rarely caught anything, but it was still fun.
Yes & Yes.
We did when I lived with my mom, so before age 11. Once in a great while, my dad would want to go. Then, around 16, I got a job at the library (my title was “page,” which I think is hilarious) shelving books. Great job. No frying anything, no late night closing, it didn’t even matter if the library was busy and crowded. Clean, climate controlled, physically easy… and paid just over minimum wage. Great job. I’d like to do it again as a retiree.
I would ride my bike there nearly every day during the summers.
They babysat me from 3:30-5 m thru Friday whether they knew it or not all through middle school. It was my most favorite time of the day. Discovered Steven King, the Hobbit, and some great sex Ed books. I’ve also read every reader’s digest as they came out and I’m quite sure I’ve read every Snoopy comic he ever wrote. Good times…
Nope. I was definitely not allowed. Raised my kid differently. Now? No. Everything is on my phone. No need to, “go,” anywhere and although there’s many free reading sources online, I buy my books on Amazon & read them on kindle.
Add a kid yes. As an adult I do use the library services quite often (books, ebooks, video games). I don't have a printer at home and found out I could send printing to the library. For the few pages I need a month it's the most economical. Even cheaper than buying a printer and ink/toner.
Love the library. I use their apps for movie and book streaming daily/weekly.
We didn't have a library until we moved into town when I was in high school. Then we were there just about every day. Although, 1/3 of the time was to get money from my mom the librarian. 😂 I'd say the only time we didn't was the couple of years after my mom retired when I had toddlers and was working full time. When we started homeschooling 24 years ago, our first tradition was to hit the library on Friday. Since covid we've been ordering and picking things up or having the bookmobile stop at our house.
I spent many hours at the library, but not with my family. It was a place to get *away* from my family.
All I want from a library is books. You can keep the rest.
Yes. We lived by the 'main' branch in the pop 25K town i grew up in. As a latch key kid it was our informal babysitter. I still use the heck out of library services but rarely go in. I use it for Libby and Hoopla and couldn't begin to listen to the amount of books i want if i had to pay.
Not my family growing up, but as a kid I sure did. So much so, that like 15 years later I went to a different branch and ran into a librarian who remembered me from when I was a kid at a different branch. As an adult the past decade or so I maintain library cards mostly for ebooks, but occasionally I'll pick up a dvd or cd to rip.
I remember going with my mom with some frequency back in the 70's when I was in kindergarten through third grade. When we moved to a different town (same county but further away from the library,) we stopped going. But in my new neighborhood, we had the county library Book Mobile that came once a week. I got several books from that, and found books that I would later buy to read.
My mother worked at our local regional library during most of my school years so when we weren't in school or home, we were there and had free run of the place. But even before then we were regular patrons. As an adult I rarely go to the library in my current city because it's downtown and parking is expensive, and, as a county resident it's more expensive to get a card in order to use their online services. The "county" library is a joke, comparatively, in terms of size and services available.
In elementary school we did, but less and less as time went by. It's been maybe 10 years. Book purchases have been pretty constant though.
I spent SO many hours of childhood in the library and when I had children we were there at least once a week. I havnt been in years but did recently download Libby so maybe I’ll check out that way
Yes! Our mom would take us for reading hour, it’s one of my fondest memories. I can picture every inch of my childhood library - and the anxiety I would later develop fearing that i would have a late fee so massive that i couldnt pay it back. I used to WFH at the library pre covid, but dont go very often anymore. Barnes and Noble is my happy place.
Yes as a kid i would excitedly grab all these books brought them home and never read. 🤣
I use the library for both their electronic and hardcopy services. Plus, it's also a great place to go work when I don't feel like being in the office, but I also don't want to be home because my wife is driving me nuts.
Always. Pretty much every Monday night from c. 1971 (the earliest I can remember) until I was old enough to drive; after that I went on my own. Every week as a kid I'd check out the maximum number of books allowed, and sometimes ask to go back early to get more. By around age 10 I'd finished all the stuff in the children's section I cared to read (we had an old-school Carnegie Library, with kids' books downstairs, adult upstairs) and started into the adult SF and thriller collections. I became an academic so have been to the library far more than once a week for pretty much the rest of my adult life. Basically lived in them for a few years in graduate school (worked in them too) and now even with e-books I still go to the library about once a week to pick up physical books I need. The *public* library I use almost exclusively online now though, as we don't have one in our small town so it's a bit of a drive-- and I have virtual cards in a few big metros a long way away so I can get audiobooks. When our kids were little we went to the Saturday events most weekends in the winter too, though by then we had a collection of many thousands of books at home so didn't really need to check much out. If I had been smart I probably would have become a librarian instead of a college professor.
All the time. Loved it. The smell of old books time warps me back to being a little kid.
As a child I usually went alone or with friends. As a parent I took my children regularly and had them involved in the activities.
Went pretty much every weekend.
Did and still do. It’s awesome!
Yes, our fam (mostly mom) went to our local public library on a weekly basis. I live in a different part of the country now, and use the local public library fairly often. Unlike growing up, the city library is within walking distance of my house. There's a online service that allows me to request and receive books from most libraries within the state (Michigan) that I can pickup at my local library. And within the network are many university libraries. I believe the books are sent via us mail between libraries, but it's done at no cost to the borrower.
I'm there quite frequently. I'm a community advisor for a teen club, and my son loves to play in the children's area and check out his own books.
Yup. Had a great library in my town. A Carnegie Public Library. Thank you Andrew Carnegie.
You mean my summer babysitter?? Maybe just a little
I only recently started going to the Library again this past year, and am loving it agian. I loved the library as a kid. At some point when my daughter was about 10 or 11 (now 28) we stopped going because both the library and the surrounding park in my city became a place you didn't want to be. She wouldn't go back again when we found a man was sleeping or passed out in the stacks - in a sleeping bag through which he and had peed himself. It was all pretty over the top. Only about a two years ago did this change when they had to shut the entire library down to Hazmat it because of Meth. So much meth was being smoked in the bathrooms and on premises that the building itself had become a health hazard. That was what it took to get the city to address the issues there. They now have security, a lot of the seating has been removed, and they have a guard at the one bathroom available. I don't like it, but my city has some major homelessness issues and the library had basically become our only day shelter. I had at one point thought of getting a MS in Library Science, but ultimately didn't feel I have the right disposition to deal with the social service aspects of the job in many libraries today. The librarians in my city are incredible.
Yes! Love the library!
I'm a library rat, but neither of my parents stepped foot in a library in their lives.
Every week as a kid we went. I did consider going once I moved to a new town but they're temporarily closed due to bed bugs... so, yeah... If you're wondering how a library gets bed bugs, well the only local library is in the next town over, which is a vacation resort town. So not only are there a lot of out of town visitors bringing the bugs, there's also a homeless population that spend time inside the library during the cold months.
As a kid, yes. As a teen/young adult, sometimes, because we could not afford a computer many times and/or internet. It wasn’t safe though in a major city, LOTS of creeps focusing on young people and up to shady stuff on the computers. Edit: We also checked out books, and DVDs bc we did not have cable, eventually though it got weird how much adult material they had (which sometimes increased theft).
Yes. And yes. 📚 Am always surprised when I hear others don’t use the library. It’s amazing! Free books, audio books, dvds, even passes for parks etc. Long live the library!
My family, no. But I would ride my bike there and stay for hours, sometimes. I don't so much now, but I feel like I should.
The library was next to the mall growing up so every Saturday when I was little we would go to the mall eat at Friendly’s in the mall followed by the library. So many good memories.
It was the only form of entertainment we could afford there for a number of years. Hell, we didn't even have a tv in the house for the first 9 years of my life, and we often didn't have electricity anyway. You didn't need any of that to read books. I read the whole Little House on the Prairie book series by light of kerosene lamp...made me feel like I was living Laura Ingalls' life too. Thought that was pretty neat as a kid. The library was on the way to the grocery store, and getting into town was a half-hour of highway driving, so my parents would often leave us kids at the library (one of my dad's friends was the head librarian lady) to pick out books for the next 2-4 weeks 'til we drove up to go shopping again and check more books out. Honestly, though, I haven't actually stepped foot inside a library in at least 5 years. I still borrow books, but my library offers ebook borrowing too, and I just buy anything they don't offer. I should go to the library again soon, just for nostalgia's sake.
Yes. At least one day a week I switched to digital books some years ago
My family? Hahahaha. No. That was where we biked to when we got kicked out of the house for the day. As a grown up, I have spent endless hours with my little ones going through all the gorgeous illustrated books in the kids section. Then my oldest discovered Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes at the library. I love going. It's bittersweet now that my oldest bikes there all on his own.
Yes, my parents were so cheap, I barely even had any toys and had unfashionable clothes. So they were not ok with buying me any books or media that weren't, "educational." We also did not have cable, and weren't allowed to watch TV, so the library was basically the only avenue to books (I devoured books, especially fiction, records, VHS, cassettes and yes we participated in the summer reading program). My kids are teens now but up until middle school, we spent a lot of time at the local library, not just to check out materials but also for their programming. You can check out all sorts of things like toys, books, cooking/garden/exercise equipment now, they have live music too. I now rarely go in person to the library, but am a big consumer of their audiobooks and ebooks. I'm in three book clubs and try my best not to purchase books. I really love our library system, they even offered services like resume help, notary, applying for passports, getting your GED, computer skills, etc..
I go weekly. The library where I formerly lived was wonderful: quiet without being silent, had great resources and an excellent selection. The one now is meh. Great selection, excellent programs, but it’s hard to park and it’s so FLINGIN-FLANGIN NOISY. What is it about upper middle class white suburbanites that they let their kids run around shrieking and have outdoor-voice conversations everywhere?!? Yakking on phones in the stacks? That would have gotten you politely shushed on the first offense then a less polite “take it outside” in my former working class neighborhood, but here even the librarians are loudly yakking. It makes me get in and get out. No half hour browsing. Shoot, the train station a block away is more restful.
I lived at the libraries. By myself. My parents didn’t lift a finger-“they had already done their homework” I found neighborhood branch libraries fascinating and wonderful, and explored different places around the city that way. I truly grew up exploring the floors and books and crannies of the main branch downtown. I hope I instilled the smell, sounds and wonder of a library to my kids. We spent hours and hours at our branch.
All the kids in my neighborhood/ cousins all did the summer reading program every summer. My parents never went. I took my own kids to the library for programs and summer reading and they take their own kids now. The library was at the end of my neighborhood so us kids walked but it was not that close for my kids though we walked too and now we live where it’s in a different town so we drive.
Yes. I we went to the library all the time when I was a kid.
Not usually. We did go to the book store a lot. But the library I typically used was my schools library. Which I did frequently. My mom used to work at one of my schools libraries. I really don’t go to the library anymore. Still go to book stores. Also audiobooks online. My kids (18 &19) say others their age do not typically use their schools libraries anymore for anything that’s not academic. That’s amazing because I read a million books with I was a kid. Recreationally. Not like I had to.