I joined the library this week….

[Rainraingoawayrain]

…and honestly, I think it’s one of the best things I’ve done in a long time.

I used to read quite a lot when I was younger but now (early 30s) not so much. I have a kindle but there’s nothing like picking up and reading a physical book.

Anyway, I signed up online and then went in to pick up my card. A really nice man who worked there was so helpful.

I just can’t believe it took me so long. I had a quick browse and I spotted probably at least 10 books that have been on my “to read” list for a while. It’s probably been about 15 years since I last stepped into a public library and now they all have self service machines where you can borrow a book in about 20 seconds and it’s all processed electronically.

And… it’s all free. And there are about 10 libraries I can go to in my London borough. I just wish I had joined sooner.

I love the library. My children love the library. We go to a book bug class and also pop in at least once a week to swap books.

You're in your 30s, reasonably intelligent clearly, living in London, and you didn't join a library till now? I know I sound horrible, but this actually blows my mind.

That honestly amazes me also, pretty much to the point of disbelief.

Maybe they were cover staff or something.

I totally agree with all of you , love nothing more than coming home with a pile of reserved books ,bonus points if your first on the list for highly sought after read (Spare) . I love to read I love nothing more than being transported to a new world , away from my troubles . I could never afford to buy the amount of books I read and there is no charge to reserve where I am , luckily .

Forgot to add my thanks out there to librarians oh and a special thanks to those who drive around the cities with books so we can reserve .

Thanks for this thread. Reminded me I needed to renew some books. Have a small fine, but oh well.

DP loves the library and goes daily to read the papers and get some quiet time.

I am in my 40s and only joined my library in the last year. Before that, I was a kid.
I went to uni and had a fine for over £200 for overdue books (I was unwell and it was written off anyway), so I was put off joining my local one.

I've taken DS6 every 5 weeks since he was born. We've gone through most of the children's books!! But today I thought I'll get something for myself, but left so overwhelmed- how do you decide what you want if you're not a big reader anyway?? Just rows and rows of books!!

Brilliant @Rainraingoawayrain! I did something similar - joined digitally during the lockdown and found it a lifeline.

Since then I’ve joined as a fully fledged library card member. I love the Libby app, BorrowBox - audiobooks on my commute!

Love it.

Love that you want to try borrowing books for yourself too 😄
I'd suggest picking up a few books and reading the blurb on the cover- it will give you an idea of whether you'd like it on not. Try a few different authors/ subjects to try as it's all free- you should find at least one that holds your interest and you want to read more of.
Also- ask your lovely library staff! They will have been asked for suggestions before, and if you tell them the sort of thing you think you might like (or particularly dislike!) they'll suggest a few possibilities. Romance? Adventure? Historical? Fantasy? Classics? Best Sellers? (You can tell I've done this before).
In fact if you answer those questions here you'll get some suggestions of books to try ☺️
Good luck!

I've always belonged to a library, from being very young, and they're wonderful!
I just went back to my local one this week, l haven't been since before the pandemic, and I got two books l wanted, and one on impulse.
I'm planning on moving after l retire, and the library near where l'm hoping to live is fantastic! It's inside one of the local parks, so you can have a lovely walk as well, and they have a really nice coffee shop attached to the library.
We really need to keep them, they're a huge asset to the community. My local one has craft groups, story times, meet ups, and the credit union is there once a week.

I love libraries but never go in them as I work full time and nowhere near one on a Saturday. I was downloading ebooks but don't like reading on tablet and the Libby app is not supported on a Kindle. Am I missing something as in how do I read them on an actual Kindle?

I bloody love our library. I spent loads of time there with my youngest DC before they started school.

I love our ordering service, our school gives our reading lists worthy of a bachelors degree, and it’s saved me a fortune.

We have a new library in my city, I was walking past and saw it looked busy, so I popped in. It's brilliant, loads of comfy chairs to sit and read. I joined immediately and borrowed two books.

I have no idea why anyone buys books when they are free at the library.

Have a look and see what they have online .Then you can reserve and pick up .

I'm a member of our local library and visit every couple of weeks, but much more often when my children were little. They had children's story time for pre schoolers on a Wednesday morning and my children loved it.

I also use it for printing, as I've never been able to keep a printer at home for long before wanting to throw it out of the window. It's 10p a page.

On every single money saving thread I ever contributed to I mentioned joining the library.

It saves me a freaking fortune and if I wanted to it could save me more (borrow box sets, music etc).

I used to get absolutely derided when I suggested it!

So glad to see all the library love here.

I go on Saturdays after the supermarket. Love it. Such a pleasant happy place. Also do printing there as my last printer broke and haven't replaced it.

I absolutely love our local library! I've been taking both mu girls since they were weeks old (obviously they were unaware!) My daughter is disabled and it's one of only places on my high street I feel confident taking her all the library staff are so lovely and will always talk to us and have natter. I love the community feel and they have little childrens clubs and just such a massive part of my parenting. And love the borrow box , downloaded it in lockdown and just free audio books 💗

I love libraries.

My nearest library is quite small and only open 2 and a half days a week, but there’s several other branches with a variety of opening times within half an hours drive of my house.

I can reserve books from any library in the county, I think there’s about 35 libraries in the county so it’s unusual for a book I want to not be in the library catalogue. The council made reserving books free during Covid and they’ve not started charging again for reservations yet. The borrowing period is 3 weeks but if no one else has reserved them I can renew the loan up to 10 times.
I can also borrow ebooks, audio books and emagazines online.

I usually try and have the maximum number of books out on my library ticket, as the librarians have said before that the number of books borrowed is one of the metrics that the council look at when they’re considering funding.

The libraries also have computers, printers and photocopiers that library members can use, and they run a variety of groups throughout the week.

As someone who works in a library this thread is lovely to read ❤️ . I have been working in libraries for nearly 20 years and sadly I have seen the funding cut back so much in that time. We are now a Community Hub which is actually great as we can offer so much support to our community but it can be hard to do everything we want as staffing has been cut so much.

We've been members of our local libraries since the kids were tiny. I still use the one near us, they are very comforting places to me, and I sometimes go in to have a browse.

I love my local library have been a member for a few years but only really started using it regularly about 5 years ago. I’ve saved a fortune on books, read lots that I might not usually read. I did a course there too that helped me get a job, the staff are so lovely and helpful.

they do a coffee morning on Tuesdays and I take my book and sit and read with a cup of tea and it’s my happy place, I feel instantly relaxed when I walk in.

they have also got this app now that if you see a book in a shop you would like to read but don’t want to buy you can scan the barcode and order it. They have so many books in stock to order (my local library is quite small). Just a lovely place.

I love libraries too. I use it to borrow physical copies of books, I reserve books, I also use the Libby app and I use my library membership to get access to the Press Reader app.

I wish more people would borrow to keep our libraries from closing.