I love my library.
This should come as no surprise to my readers, as I have written about my library numerous times.
I love the staff, the books, the CD audio books and DVD’s.
Yeah. In that order.
You do have to put the new DVD’s on hold though. But with four cards in our family, we could conceivably put 60 movies on hold at a time. There’s almost always a great movie just waiting to be picked up at the library.
This method has been so successful, we’ve been able to cancel our Netflix subscription. Our visits to the neighborhood video store became so infrequent that they now send us free coupons to try and woo us back.
Sorry pal, I’ve moved on to a new love. And he knows how to love me for an extended period.
Three weeks baby, three weeks!
This works fabulously for me since I don’t actually watch television that often. It can often take me a whole three weeks to sit down and watch a movie.
But not always, sometimes I get right on it.
So what’s a Non-Consumer to do?
Do I return the movie early?
A movie that I perhaps had to wait ages for?
Heavens no.
I lend it out.
A few of my friends and I swap our library movies around. For example, my Nancy Drew library movie is currently over at my friend Lise’s house. She knows it’s due Thursday, and she’s proved herself trustworthy in the past. If a person doesn’t return the movie on time, (you know who you are) then they’re cut from the loop.
Yeah, I’m that ruthless.
Nothing pisses me off more than unnecessary library fines.
This method allows me to be generous without spending a penny. And I’m happy to be the recipient of other people’s generosity and trust.
Because there are a few things you can count on with me. I will get your library materials back on time, and I sure do like me a three-week-long swap.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! You get to keep DVDs for three weeks? We only get to keep ours for one week and then the fine is $2 a day. You better believe those puppies get back to the library in time.
Ours are similar to Shymom’s–they have to be back in like five days, if I remember right. Intense…and not a great selection, at all. But I do check out the rack once or twice a month, when I’m there.
I love libraries and have for the past 57 years. When I lived in Connecticut my tiny local library called me a ‘Library Junkie” because I had cards to 5 different libraries – each town had a separate library system instead of being county wide. I used an on-line ILL system to get books from all over Connecticut and the entire US.
Now, in SW Florida among the retirees – I have a hard time finding many who use the library system unless they live within a couple of blocks and can walk. They prefer to buy new books, subscribe to Netflix, and have magazine subscriptions and complain about the cost!!
What is wrong with these people? Currently between my husband and I we have 3 fiction, 3 magazines, 2 DVDs and 6 non-fiction and 2 pending from ILL. We’ll return all within 2 weeks and start all over. And it’s FREE and paid thru with our taxes. I, for one, intend on getting my taxes worth. Bellen
I have been getting better at using the library lately. However, I’m still a book hoarder to some extent. I have a selection of favorite authors (mostly non-fiction academic stuff, with a couple fiction writers thrown in) that I simply must buy books from. In a way, I feel guilty reading only library books from these authors because I know how hard it is to make a living in writing or acadamia, and I figure if I get this much pleasure from their work I need to give something back.
As for movies, I agree – who has time? Hubby uses the library for movies occasionally, but I can hardly make it through a broadcast TV show, let alone a feature film.
Shymom, I was going to say the same thing! Non-fiction DVDs(like National Geographic) can be checked out for three weeks, but not the more popular stuff.