The library I work no one wants to read books but play on the internet. By play on the internet I mean look at porn.

I would like to know what a "torn up" computer looks like.

The library is great here, they even have an online tracking system so you can see what you borrowed. You just put in your card number and you can request materials from your own computer provided you have one that works. Do not forget about interlibrary loans as well. If you find a book that you REALLY like and want to keep forever for reference or whatnot then you can go to one of the low priced used book outlets online to get it there.

Our library also has free DVD rentals and they get pretty much everything you would ever want to see plus even those lesser known movies. If they have DVD's that I want to watch then that is really something!

They also have a huge selection of Manga, Comics and some libraries in our district even rent out Video games (for PS2 at least) and you can request for them to be sent to your own library.

Our library doesn't have CDs, DVDs or much of anything that isn't a book. They do, however, allow people to eat in the library. Anything from a pint of ice cream (which I saw one afternoon) to a bag of peel-and-eat shrimp (at which point the librarian was allowed to ask the guy to leave). It's ridiculous, makes the library smell and has resulted in damaged library property. We go there a lot less since they introduced their snack-at-will policy.

My B+N has almost their whole inventory 30% off now - they're moving the store almost 1 block up the hill to a new location (seriously) and are liquidating the existing store. The best part is the new store will get all-new inventory, not just the same old stuff. It's the best economic stimulus program I've seen so far.

My problem with libraries is they don't have the books I need -- I need the kind of specialized philosophical and technical books a normal library doesn't have. Maybe a big college somewhere.

My local library's not so great, but you can do interlibrary loan requests online, which helps a lot.

Remember that many colleges and universities allow townies to get a library card (often for a nominal fee, $25ish a year, if you're not affiliated with the university, but $25 for access to a huge library is a bargain if you're otherwise a big book buyer). And in many states, the state university library system is automatically open to taxpayers for free, though again you must get a card and typically your borrowing privileges are shorter so the books are available for students and professors.

Many public libraries these days are linked into interlibrary loan systems that include university systems, so that's useful too.

I dont know where a Library is even located where I live. I guess I would consider that truly sad if I didnt ever read. I might have to look into it. I have noticed between my Girlfriend and I reading can be quite expensive.

Also..

When I was in Middle School (6th-8th grade) the library was a great place for a weekday "date". So many uses.

I remember back in the day hearing about how people thought they were so smart, they went to the brick-and-mortar bookstores to browse business as usual but then went home and bought what they wanted from Amazon. Me, I was sitting here browsing on Amazon and when I found something I wanted (thanks to Amazon's well-tuned efforts to recommend things for me) I would switch over to my library's web site and order it up. (I get an email when the book is in, and I get it. I then get an email when it's due.) Buy books? WTF? Do you know how much books weigh? If you don't, you will when it comes time to move. Anyway, awhile back I added DVDs to that methodology, and it works great.

@CyrusOpeth: This is why I told my husband we are never, ever, ever moving again without professional movers. EVER.

Maybe (when the economy improves), cities will start allocating more money to libraries - so they can buy more books and have more space. (Hopefully not so they can buy more computers so kids can spend more time playing games and people with no lives can look at porn.)

Some years ago, I read an article (AP, I think) about libraries. They said that only 15 percent of the U.S. population uses the library on a regular basis. I thought that was shocking enough, but then I read how they defined "regular basis" - twice a year or more. As someone who has visited the library once or twice a week since I was a child, I can't understand life without a library. I'm thankful to my mom for taking me as often as I wanted to go!

I've never been able to understand why people would rather buy books that they're going to read only one time. The only books I buy are those that I want to keep and read again some day, or loan out to friends, or occasionally I buy a book that the library doesn't have but that I'm relatively sure I will like.

I work in a library and it's definitely WAY busier than it used to be. Too bad they cut our budget by 10%, and are considering another cut -- the reason this time is, of course, the economy, but the libraries are always the first on the list when it comes to budget cuts in Hawaii. We're also the victims of a hiring freeze, and most branches are already shorthanded. The support staff (circulation clerks) are the worst off, since they do most of the grunt work (check out/check in, shelving, processing materials, processing local/postal deliveries, etc.) -- I hope no one decides to retire any time soon.

@CyrusOpeth:

Tell me about it. I have so many books that moving is always a nightmare. I try to cull them once a year or so, but I'm ridiculously, pack-ratty attached to them so it's hard.

I use the library a lot. I won't buy a book I'm not sure about - I'll check it out first. Usually, I read my books over and over.

I buy a lot of books at the flea market or used bookstores, too. That way if I absolutely must own it, at least it's not full price. Only some authors will I buy new, including Stephen King and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I'm addicted to the latters' Pendergast series!

This year, I ran out of money for Christmas presents and I gave my brother a brand new copy of a new Stephen King that I had bought (I can't stand to wait for paperbacks with him!). I can get another copy for myself at the flea market for a couple of bucks in a few months or so.

@CyrusOpeth: Most of the time with a book or DVD you will use it once then put it down and NEVER pick it up again. Thats why I use the library for these things. Video games are a different story as you can pick them up and play them again, and I often do that. So I would prefer to own a video game but books and DVD's are often one-shot of entertainment each for me then I forget about that particular one and move right onto the next one. I can understand if you need a book for reference or really like it and if you REALLY like a movie but other than those 2 instances the library suffices just fine.

As an indie bookstore owner, I still like it when library use goes up. It means people are reading more books in general, and they'll come buy books from me more when the wait list gets too long for popular books.

As long as they aren't coming in my shop for ideas, then going home to order online. That's shoplifting - I spent a lot of money and time to get those books in, and to take advantage of my selections without supporting my shop means I can't pay my rent or payroll.

A local, community bookstore is worth the extra few dollars to everyone - my customers get free delivery and personalized selections, fun and cultural events (for free) and a place to meet new people. Same with the library.

still, i'm not sure its a good idea for libraries to become free video rental stores.
its a waste of tax payer resources.

@parad0x360: Easiest way to locate your local library is go to google and type "your county name" library "your state".

Good luck :D

I've been using my local library for a couple of years after I realized how much I was spending on books. My library has a good selection of books, DVDs, CDs and books on tape.

I used to use the library in Richmond VA. It was one of the few warm places the local homeless could hang out all day (as long as they didn't go to sleep). I see where the current economic situation will be a boon to libraries.

I work in a library on a very large university campus. We have seen a huge increase of not only student usage, but also community and former student. We charge $15 a year for non-university associated people, there has been a spike in purchases. So much so that we had to add another person on creating the library cards.

To brag, best job ever. I haven't bought many books since starting back in August. I work in the main library on campus and we are having our 4 millionth volume celebration this year. There are three other circulating libraries and then a special collections library. If I can't find what I want in all that we have a great interlibrary loan department and I've never been turned down when I make a purchase recommendation.

People are defiantly taking advantage of everything libraries have to offer now.

@mauispiderweb: Yep, that is the saddest part of it all. Libraries are continually getting their funding cut regardless of where they are or how much traffic they are getting.

<--another librarian

i actually went out and bought two books last week; nabokov's the gift for around $7.50 and mercedes helnwein's the potential hazards of hester day $1. i actually think if there's any opportunity to spend is when stores left and right are closing.
those two combined are actually cheaper than what i had to pay in library fines for a book i asked my siblings to return while i was away at college.

Our library system is wonderful and I go every week. They have the newest releases, almost every season of the latest television shows, and even video games now. So many people think of just books when they think of libraries, but they are so much more now. In the San Diego county system, you can even browse the database online and reserve items and they will have them ready at the branch of your choice when it's your turn.

Another nail in the coffin for the B+N and Borders of the world (although that Borders coffin is pretty much sealed tight already).

@Possinator: I'm always checking out books. I'm a rarity...I have never used the library computers.

@parad0x360: That's assuming you live in an English-speaking country! When I've lived abroad I've heard rumours of libraries, but I never actually met anyone who had been to one! Really! Not one single person. Sometimes I would walk past buildings that had "BIBLIOTECA" signs or something, but they would be behind big locked fences. Or it could be that you live in a place where libraries are open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, or something, while you're at work. I spent thousands of dollars on books when I lived in Italy because I couldn't figure out the library system. In Mexico the university I taught at had a library, but they only had about a hundred fiction titles in total, of which five or six were English. Here at my lovely Canadian library we have books in every language you could imagine. I signed out some Uzbek (Uzbeki?) books to use in class with one my immigrant students, and I regularly sign out fiction titles in Italian, Spanish and French. Never forget how good you have it to live in a place with a superb public library system! It's not just developing or third-world countries with crappy libraries!

My local library costs over $850 a year in taxes. So, yeah, I go all the time but, no, I don't consider it free.

BTW, the taxes in Long Island are insane.

@Outrun1986: Do you live in Delaware too?

My local library is tiny tiny tiny. It's in an old building that used to be some sort of office. However, if I use the computer card catalog there, or at home, they can have books movies or music sent from anywhere in the state to my library.

It's nice browsing amazon's recommendations for new stuff to read, looking it up in the library and two days later getting it from the local library even though it was actually 45 minutes downstate originally.

@delicatedisarray: I loved working at my university library! I worked in the Education Library (we used the easy-as-pie Dewey Decimal System to reflect public school libraries, rather than the Library of Congress system!) where we had picture books, young adult fiction, extra copies of K-12 textbooks and the teacher's guides, textbooks on teaching and then all these really cool teaching kits, like science experiments, replicas of ancient artifacts and posters. It was the best student job ever!

When I first read the title I thought this was going to talk about more homeless people using the library to keep warm. There are 6-12 regulars that I see at my public library that come in and read the papers and other books.

@Justifan: Actually lots of libraries started their movie libraries with donations from patrons. Tired of that extra copy of "American Pie"? Donate it.

@Fujikopez: Sounds like PEBCAK to me.

@Trencher93: Ask about interlibrary loan service for the books you want at your library.

Also, if you have a big university nearby, often they will let community members check out books for a low per-year fee.

@Trencher93: I <3 my university for that reason. :)

Justifan: In Hawaii and in other municipalities video rentals are $1. Usually the selection isn't that great either. Here it is, but you're usually fighting with EVERYONE for new releases. It's not anywhere near a video rental store, because you can't get what you want half the time.

When I lived in NJ, I used the heck out of the libary. They had their whole catalog online (originally via telnet, then moved to the web) and you could search and do reservations online.

Now that I'm in Baltimore County, MD, I've been to the library - which is about 2 blocks away - once. They don't have any of the books I'm looking for, and reserving books online costs $1. Calling in and reserving is free. WTF?

So instead, I buy my books used off half.com. If it's something new that I really want, I'll spring for it from Amazon, usually with certificates from turning in my change at Coinstar.

@kaycee: I buy only the newest of books... but perhaps I'll start donating them to a local library when I'm done?

That'll make moving easier...

@SNForrester: Not free, but not making a profit either.

Perhaps libraries could start marketing themselves better by saying "hey - why don't you use this thing you're paying for?"

@Justifan: That makes about as much sense as if it had read "i'm not sure its a good idea for libraries to become free book rental stores.
its a waste of tax payer resources."

Can you please explain further why you feel that way?

@SadSam:

We've got the homeless too, but since its Fla. they use the library for the bathroom and the A/C.

Libraries are funded based on patronage numbers. Using the library makes it better because more funds = more books and materials.

My sister works for a small rural library which has a computer lab, DVDs, CDs, and a large number of books because the area it services is so poor that it has high patronage numbers. They also offer classes to gain various skills (computer use, knitting, etc.), kids programs, and free snacks during special events (all prepared and taught by library staff). However, funding has been cut repeatedly for libraries as legislators feel that they are no as necessary in the age of the Internet so they have to raise money on their own by selling donated items or creating special merchandise to sell (CDs and DVDs about local history, tote bags with the library's name).

People keep saying you should use the library because you pay for it, but the truth is that you don't pay much at all for your libraries. Libraries have to raise funds from private sources and the taxes people pay for their local libraries is a pittance for the amount of service. Each state is different, but in Pennsylvania, it's about $6 per person per year. That's less than the cost of one book.

The library in downtown Toledo is absolutely gorgeous. So much so that it can be a little overwhelming to browse in. Even so, I try to take out books and donate to them as much as I can throughout the year. My husband wanted some self-help type books this Christmas, and I managed to find four books for him in great condition in their used books section. I bought them for 2 dollars a piece. It sounds cheap, but we love our library, so my husband has no problem receiving second hand books for Christmas.

Here's a page about our library, with a photo of the inside. Sometimes I go there just to look. It's beautiful architecture.

If you live somewhere that has decent libraries or better yet one in a huge beautiful old building like the one in the picture please be thankful.
Where I am stuck right now has horrible libraries. I don't think they even have copies of classical literature, very limited DVDs. Most of the reference is from the 70's. They threw out all the older reference and how to books and have little if anything non fiction that is newer. New non fiction like books on current events, cook books and that kind of thing no way.

But our libraries have plenty of those pink romance novels and homeless people sleeping all over the place. So were just working on our own private library.

the library system i grew up with has something i miss at my current library and would use a lot if it was available: a library bookstore for purchase of titles they are taking out of circulation or donations that aren't quite suitable for circulation.
once i found a charles dickens printed in the 1850's for 50 cents at the 'friends of the library bookstore'
here - they take the books out of circulation and store them away for an annual sale.
i use my library often and the online book request system is excellent because i get out of work just in time to have ten minutes there before they close.
lately though, i have definitely noticed an increase in wait times for books. used to be i would be the only person requesting but now i am usually 4th or 5th in the queue.
i don't mind though. at least then my librarians have a better chance of keeping their jobs

@Ajh: Outside the last paragraph, sounds like Western Washington

@atashida: Hell, the right one does it for free.

And I can make 50 interlibrary loan requests, a month. Hot, damn.

@Ein2015: Hell, you could probably sell them at a highly reduced rate to the library and they'd do it. I know I've seen it happen.

@mauispiderweb: Washington's in the same boat - hiring cap now (improved from freeze, but we'll freeze again soon). Luckily they have high school and college kids to do the book schlepping, but I haven't seen one hired in months (you can check postings) and I know the turnover for that job is high...