How much do you use the Library?

I have never been inside a library

really?!

I love the library – free books… I mean come on right. :D

Our town library is a bit lame, a widely held opinion. Though the college library is excellent. I read in the library a bit, but since they don’t allow drinks (read: coffee) inside it’s not a place I’m super keen on spending a lot of time sitting in.

@Jamspoon im sorry to hear that you cant have drinks, we recently changed our policy because we got a new head librarian, and she loves coffee :)

i work at a public library, so i use it constantly. ;)

but there is a marked increase in people using the library in our area; part of what i do is teach computer classes, and the attendance has increased markedly in the last year. Last January, we had 80 people attend classes over the course of the month, this month, we had that many attend in the first week and a half!! Our DVD collection is actually causing arguments between patrons, who show up 40min early before we release new DVDs on a Tuesday.

And our public usage computers are busy from the time we open til we have them auto shutdown at the end of the day.

I’ve had people whose card expired 8 years ago come in and want to renew, pay old fines, etc. so that they can start using our services. People are amazed that the library offers so many services and “products” – you can actually request Wii, PS2/3 and XBox/360 games and they’re delivered to you via courier, for free.

why wouldn’t you use the library?

My local library sucks and is 30 minutes away. I loved the library where I used to live but mine is surrounded by scary hobos and the like. I use my school library all the time.

@mrswho bahahaaa, thats soo funny, but im sorry to hear that, most libraries are quite pleasant.

I feel slightly lame being 19 years old and admitting that I go to the library in my free time just to randomly look at books in different sections and skim them, but I do. If a book gets lucky, I’ll actually check it out of the library. I also just got my library card. I feel even more lame for how excited I was about that, especially that they have the card that goes on your keychain. but come on that’s awesome!

I would totally only be so candid on Fluther about my nerd-ism, hahah.

I love the library. Something about real books…

I’m a college student, so basically the campus libraries are my lifeline. I definitely appreciate them, unfortunately the collection of reference materials in regard to my major is lacking BUT thanks to external services I have access to the collections of all campus libraries registered in the system. If a WVU library doesn’t have it, they’ll do their best to track it down at no expense to me, which is extremely helpful.

As far as public libraries are concerned, I volunteered at one in highschool and loved it, but when I relocated for college, my experience with them went downhill. I’ve never met such miserable people in my life. SO, I’ve just stuck to those on-campus and I couldn’t ask for better.

Recently I have lived at the library because of Exams. Without exams I don’t use the library simply because I have my computer and don’t really need much else. My library is pretty cool..I like the people that work there :)

I only use my school library for finding some books that (a) are really old, (b) are extremely copyright sensitive or© if you have to have at least x amount of print material on an essay. I go to study sometimes because it’s quite, or if I have a really long break I take a nap. I don’t take out fiction because I always like owning the book.

Do they still use the dewy decimal system? I never quite got the hang of it.

Its been a year since last I set foot in one for a ‘convention’ otherwise I don’t know I found earlier on that my taste in books wasn’t umm normally carried in such facilities.

Yeah, we still use the dewey system.

@KingMalefic – do you mean pr0n or something else?

check out our website: www.ocls.info

I usually only use the library if I’m meeting other kids there to study or something. I do check out books when I write papers, but that doesn’t require me to stay there for a length of time.
The first time I ever went in the library was the longest I’d ever been in there at once. I got the wrong call number for a book, then I went hunting for it for 30 minutes, then I went back down three floors to ask for help but the librarian wasn’t allowed to leave the desk to show me where the book was (wtf is the point then? she literally told me “sorry, i can’t help you. you have to find it on your own” and sent me off), so I wandered some more, finally found it, then went to go look for another one in the basement, then I got lost in another room in the basement and texted my friend to come rescue me. Turns out the room I was in wasn’t even part of the library, but I found my way in there somehow.
My first campus library experience was bad, but yeah, I still go.

@A_Beaverhausen Well your head librarian sounds charming, the head librarian here has a seriously large stick lodged up her butt. She is neither charming or helpful.

I LIVE in the library on my campus..and I LOVE our librarians. Seriously, I am a product of the “google generation”, but I still truly love the library.

My library is a block away, and when I want a book, I put it on reserve through the internet, it comes to my library and I’m sorted! I’m probably there 3–4 times a month to look for or check out books

@Jamspoon yikes!

Now it finally works…. I had posted 2 items or thought i did and they didn’t show up. hmm. the author was William h Johnstone.

@eponymoushipster : Really, Haha I went to UCF.

The only library I set foot in Orlando was my Schools and its very similar story to @Allie.

oh now it works.

I didn’t realize how much of a library geek I am until I started working in one (I am behind the circulation desk as I type this)! I can honestly say I Love The Library!! I work in our university library; we check out Kindles, cameras, video recorders, even chess sets for goodness sake!

The library is a wonderful place, I spend a lot of time there.

@SuperMouse ME TOO! mucho lurve for circulation receptionists :)

@A_Beaverhausen you are on a circulation desk right now too? Very Cool! That is three library geeks in a single thread! (Yes @eponymoushipster I’m counting you in that number.)

@SuperMouse yea! we have extended library hours right now for finals next week, so im posted up here till 12.

why is it that everyone needs a library card at the end of the term?? haha, slackers!

@SuperMouse thanks!

@A_Beaverhausen I’m here until midnight too. We are open until midnight five days a week and I close on three of those (but only one is on the circulation desk, the others are on the reference desk).

I love our little town library and its LC Tiffany windows and dozens of magazines. I spent several hours a week there, use their regional inter-library load system for many books and audio CDs and always make a yearly donation.

@KingMalefic UCF. zoinks.

Oh, I wish I could work at the library! This is my library, and I love it. The kids make me take them to a different one, because they have a better YA section.

@eponymoushipster : Yes I went to U Can’t Finish or the Under Construction Forever. Seriously it was.

@KingMalefic i work with a girl for whom it’s definitely U Can’t Finish. It’s like they started a college and no one who wanted to learn anything showed up.

I did finish in 04 but it took them another 4 years to send me the paperwork. :-(

I am at a point in my life where I really don’t use the library that much. I buy most of the books I want, and I have a large personal library, complete with many reference books. But I owe a huge debt to libraries. I used them often as a child, and while I was at college. They introduced me to a number of new areas of study. As a student, I especially loved the reference section, where I learned how to find out information I needed. I do still occasionally use my university library, which is excellent, and specialty libraries.

I hadn’t been in a public library in years until I recently went with my 89-year-old mother, who has just moved near me and was looking to get involved in things. I had made the rounds of senior centers with her, trying to find activities that she might like. They offered things like bingo and bridge and senior exercise classes. When a lady asked her what she was interested in, she said art, music, and books, and they looked like her like she was a zombie from outer space. The library really came to our rescue. It offered creative writing classes and book clubs, and other things that had some possibility of being intellectually stimulating. She has decided to ignore the senior centers and focus her activities around the library. I was filled with renewed admiration for public libraries, and felt happy that a place that had meant so much to me when I was younger had not let me down.

I used to go to our local library very often, but those were the days. Now, I just utilize the internet whenever I need to find something.

I love our library. It has several locations through out the county. Now that I’m a busy mom, I mostly put books on hold over the internet and just pick them up when they’re ready. Sometimes I have a few free minutes to browse though.

I go about once a week, sometimes more.

I go to the library all the time. I’m impatiently waiting for a few books on hold right now and have plans to meet my friends there after work today. I have to return half a dozen books and find some new stuff to take out. I love, love, love the library.

I’m especially pleased right now because a friend of mine works there and got her hands on an ARC from an author I really like. We’ve been passing it around the house, which is kind of hilarious as the guys were really stand-offish at first, but since we were babbling about it, one of them picked it up and now he’s so hooked.

Anyway, love it.

@EmpressPixie What is an ARC?

Advanced Reading Copy. Advanced Readers Copy. Something like that—a copy that comes out before the book is released for booksellers and librarians to read so they can decide if they want to order the book or use it for programs or whatever.

Thanks. I would love to have one of those!

I also work in a library. To those of you who go in to just spend time or browse, that’s great. That’s what it’s for. Once in a while when you see something that interests you, then you can check it out & take it home. That’ll bring you back more to use the facilities. In this day of the internet, some libraries are suffering. It’s there for you to use for free. Take advantage of it. :-)

I went today!

@aprilsimnel thats what i like to hear!

@aprilsimnel I went today as well! I got half a dozen books which was totally a mistake because they made my bag too heavy. Oh well. Free books!!