Posts Tagged ‘library’

Libraries and what they can offer you

Monday, August 31st, 2009

I’m a huge fan of the library, and it’s often amazed me how few people think to use their services when they offer so much.  It’s not just books that they have available, although this is what they’re traditionally known for, in fact libraries offer a pretty wide range of services and most of them are either free or very very cheap.

Most libraries – even small ones, offer to loan people books, dvds and cds as standard these days, and although in most places dvds and cds cost a few pence to borrow, it is a pretty small fee when compared to using other lending services.  My own local library lets you borrow a total of up to 10 items at any one time and keep them for up to 1 month for books, and 2 weeks for dvds or cds.  Mine is also a great place to find out about local events too, as they have stands of leaflets available so when I go there I often learn about other things I can do as well.

For anyone who has a larger library nearby there’s even more available, as many of these have computers available for people to use to access the internet.  Some charge a small fee again, but many allow people to use these for up to a certain amount of time per week for free these days.  Then there are reference sections to most libraries where you can access a huge amount of information about a wide variety of subjects.  These books have to remain in the library but it’s a great place to find information and the staff in these places are great at helping people to find their way around and seek out what they’re looking for.  It’s a great place for kids to go when they need to research a school project, and sadly somewhere that gets forgotten about a lot in this age of computers.

A few of the biggest libraries around the country also have other resources available such as microfiche records of all the births, deaths and marriages in the country.  This sort of information is great if you’re researching your family history.  Many also have local history and local business sections too where you can find out more about the area you live in, or what businesses are registered in the area.

It’s a wealth of resources at our fingertips, most of it available for free to us all, and yet libraries are highly underused places.  So if you’re looking for something to do that won’t cost you much, why not have a trip to your local library and see what they can offer you.

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