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Libraries are Freakin Awesome


This is my library. Love it!!!!
I’m a book lover and have been since about the age of 11. I’m the type of person that people ask for book suggestions and give book suggestions to on a near daily basis. In my early twenties I was under the illusion that my book collection was a reflection of the type of person I was and how I wished to be perceived.  Basically I wanted to be considered EXTREMELY intelligent and well read and have my book shelves display the proof.

Now that I am a lot older (wiser?) and lean towards the minimal I’ve asked myself the question “How often have I read a book more than once?” The answer is not often.  So let me get this straight I’m hanging on to a shit tonne of books (costing an average of $15 each, often more) just so I can be perceived as intelligent. Ha ha ha ha…..the irony!

Now here is a smart idea. When someone gives me a rave book review or if its on my book club list I get on my library website and reserve it, taking a total 1 minute (do it on my phone). Then a couple of days/weeks later I get a text message telling me it is ready to pick up from my local. I go along with the kids who get a couple of dvds and books for themselves and pick up my reserves. 

So you might have guessed that I freakin love libraries. I can get just about any book, DVD, Blu Ray or CD that I wish and all it takes is a bit of patience. If my library doesn’t have what I want they get it from another library or they order a new copy. And I pay nothing for this service….NOTHING!

If you are not convinced of why libraries are awesome read on……

1. You have access to all of the books ever written for FREE! (ok maybe not all, but a lot!)

2. You have access to loads of cool movies and TV series for FREE!

3. Check out the school holiday programs (yes they are FREE) and your kids can learn to knit, make cool madhatters hats or go and see ‘Shaun the Sheep’ the movie (and other cool kids films) on the biggish screen.

4. Not having to deal with Analysis Paralysis. In other words the randomness of when your book/dvd/cd comes in means you don’t have to stand there trying to choose from hundreds of options. It’s doing the choosing for you.

5. If you don’t like the book you don’t have to keep reading it. So flipping liberating when you realise “I didn’t actually pay a cent for this boring book. So I can actually just stop reading immediately. Woo hoo!”

6. My kids will actually watch the DVDs we get from the library because they are borrowed and therefore more exciting. The few DVDs they own are apparently boring because they are ours. Hence why we are no longer accumulating any more children’s DVDs.

7. Let’s face it, everything in life is borrowed, we are taking nothing with us to the grave. Books are written to be read not accumulated!

8. Libraries are peaceful places to be and that’s enough reason for me.
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