When you think of libraries, you think of book shelves. Well, book shelves and creepy dudes on computer terminals. But there is also a whole bunch of publicly-funded free stuff you can use and borrow if you know what to look for.

MSN Money identifies several little-known freebies that libraries tend to offer. Here are some of my favorites:

*Periodical searches. Somehow, things were actually written before the internet existed, and not all of this writing has been digitized and slapped up online. That’s where library periodical searches come in, helping you find newspaper and magazine stories from those ancient times.

*Genealogy database access. The story says libraries commonly allow you to search genealogy programs for free that you might have to pay to access at home.

*Movies. As DVDs become cheaper, libraries’ collections continue to grow. Libraries’ ever-improving movie selections may well have helped drive the stake into the hearts of video rental stores.

What’s your favorite free stuff to cop at libraries?

13 things that are free at the library [MSN Money]

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