to wonder why my friend doesn't use the library?

[LissyGlitter]

My friend posted on a website we both go on, asking if anybody had any roald dahl books they could lend her for a few days as she needs to do a project for her schoolkids (she's a TA) and several people offered one each, so my friend will have to drive round all the local suburbs collecting the books, remember who lent which one, and return them all to the right people. I suggested she just nip to the local library, and she said it was "too much hassle". The mind boggles.

I am shocked at the amount of people who don't use their local library. Why on earth would you not use it? I am the least organised person EVER and I can manage to either return the books within a couple of weeks or nip online and renew them without any trouble, it's completely free, kids don't even have fines, you don't even have to return books to the same library they came from! I didn't even have to provide any ID when I recently joined my local library (I have recently moved house to another council area)

So, what is the excuse for not allowing your kids access to millions of free books? Or even for not allowing yourself them? I enjoy having a huge collection of books (we have just thinned out our collection for moving by about 50%, and still have enough to cover an entire wall of our front room, and we are pretty poor) but I don't want to keep every single thing I read, and there's a limit to the amount of money I want to spend on novels that I'm only likely to ever read once anyway.

The libraries are no longer scary places where a woman in a twinset and a severe bun shushes you, they are fun, friendly places, where your kids will be welcomed and the library assistants and librarians will help you find what you want. If you are not a member or you don't use your membership, go there today!

Yes, its a sweeping statement - and (mostly) I stand by it.

As I said in my post - I buy books. I like owning books. I read all sorts of books. I do not feel the need to have 'an emotional attachment' to every book I read. I have bookcases in nearly every room of my house with books that I do have attachments to, and so have chosen to buy.

I do not, however have 'an emotional attachment' to every novel I read (6/7 a month at least.) I have a finite amount of room in the house and could not keep every book I read.

As for kids destroying books...er yes, sometimes - but that is also a sweeping generalisation. Don't they get taught not to - and grow out of the behaviour? It's not a reason for not using a library. We have loads of non-library books at home that dd is able to get out when she wants to, and we used to keep the library books in a place so she could only have them when she was supervised to avoid her damaging them. As she has got older we don't need to do that any more.

As a child the library was bus journey away - for me now it is a 30 minute walk. I appreciate that there are some that have really onerous journeys that make it logistically difficult/impossible. I also sympathise with people who say their libraries are poorly stocked. They are reasons to be less keen on visiting the library - I admit it!

Love your sweeping generalisation,Eyeballs!

Personally I love anything that gives me access to books,so libraries=good thing,I buy books I know the library will never stock,or things I know I want to own,but without the library there is an awful lot that I wouldn't read,particularly non-fiction which has just grabbed my attention in passing. (charity shops don't have much choice for that,IME )
I am also lazy and disorganised,thus giving our nice librarians plenty of opportunity to tease me over yet more fines...

However my DC's,despite being exposed from an early age are not interested in millions of free books - they are interested in loads of DVD's which Mum might pay for...

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Know what you mean about the series thing,Bloss! I'm reading a series where there are,in the whole county,about 45 copies each of books 1 and 3,and one copy of book 2! (and all in print paperbacks)
What on earth is that all about??!

'It's not a reason for not using a library.'

See, I don't get this. Why do you need people to give you reasons not to go to the library?

Understanding that you and your family really like it, why does it bother you that others don't use their library?

We've just come back from the library- with 36 assorted cds, storytapes and books. I go every Monday night (alone) to browse- I read 3 or 4 books a week, and though I buy from Amazon, it just gets too expensive. I used to spend my teen years there too (does that make me sad?).
My children read, but not excessively, and my husband will read about 4 books a year!
I just love the whole concept of a local library- loads of local information there, and brand new books hot off the press!

Yes there are tons of fantastic free sessions on offer in our local library - music, stories crafts - but something terrible happens to DS when we go into a library. He becomes Feral Boy, climbing on fixtures and fittings, running away, going up to people using the PC's and banging buttons, interrupting stories with loud and incomprehensible noises. All to my shame, as I have taken him to libraries since he was tiny, and he is not like this anywhere else. They just seem to have this effect on him. I only go now when he is asleep in the buggy, so consequently I owe £18 in fines.

Perhaps I'll give it another go. it is at least six weeks since I last carried him out of the painfully slow revolving doors screaming, "help me! help me!" Him, not me, although I certainly felt like it.

Olifin - I don't lose sleep over it, but this thread did make me think that there are very few other places/activities (excluding the park) for families that are:

a. free and often offer free activities
b. open all year round (exc bank holidays/sundays/evenings)
c. Grow your brain (well not all books are improving - but its better than wall to wall nintendo)

I accept it's not everyone's cup of tea - there are plenty of things that others do I find explicable (and stuff I do that according to DH is also in that category!)

But the debate was why people wouldn't use them - and I can get my head round people who have to take 2 buses at loads of expense, or not wanting to go to a rubbish library, but not people denying a great option to their kids because they haven't taught them not to scribble over books.

Roffling at that image JemL

Ours is tiny and has almost no books I want to read. The ones I do want to read I already own. Their choice in CDs is dire. They don't have any DVDs. There is a woman who works there who hates my guts and I don't want to go anywhere near her.

My mum has the mobile library come to her as she is house bound, so they sent a chap round to see what sort of books she would like.
Mum is 65 by the way... So chap says "so love what do you like to read? Bit of Cookson?" "No" says mum
"Mills and Boon?" Says chap
"No" says mum
"nice storys about family" says chap
"No" says mum.
"Ok love what do you like" says chap

Psychotic serial killers says mum, Patterson, and so on, bloodier the better!

Chap almost fell off chair

No, you are not.

I heart libraries.

Love using our library.

Even if your library is tiny they ought to be able to order anything. I don't use mine much, but my Mum uses hers a lot - orders books immediately after reading reviews, orders DVDs of films and 'classic series'.

DH and DD back from library with The Night of the Living Veg, the Lemony snicket DD read on holiday so she can get it credited to her book challenge, and the two others she read ordered and DH got a couple of CDs for 50p apiece.

notyummy - my parents lived in a small 3 bedroom ex-council house - and when they moved out - they (finally) culled their collectioin of books - close to 10,000 of them !!!

They had shelves built up to the ceilings, and "double shelved" them, they even had then all listed and categorised on the computer

DS1 and 2 "cost" me enough losing their school library books among the kids books that belong to us without having to pay out to a library as well.

Our library is garbage.

Just joined my library. So far, so good

I hate libraries - full of smelly kids, always too hot etc.

I'm funny about books. I don't lend or borrow them, I only want to read books that I own.

I can afford it, and if they're in good nick am happy to buy from charity shops.

Libraries are great for kids but no need to visit them if you're an adult and prefer to buy your own books.

oh and as for ordering.

I still have nightmares (well not really - but I still remember it vividly when I recall the story ) of when I ordered a set of music scores for Stainers Crucifixion - I mentioned it further down and tbh the way they treated me as if I was at fault put me right off using it for anything else.

I've been banned from my library, I suppose I could go in and read stuff but am not allowed to take things home due to repeated spectacular late returns/loss of library property

I love my library!

I have not been to the library for the last year. I found that because our local (rural) library only opens on some days I could never quite time it right and always ended up with fines. But now I am on maternity leave I can;t wait to go back. DS (8) loves reading and costs me a fortune in books and comics - it comes to something when you have to encourage your dc to read less!

Libraries are such a brilliant resource - they will cut them back and close them if we don;t cherish them.

And it's free!!

DS joined the library when he was a week old and got out his first book then as well! It was his first trip out. Ours has bizarre opening hours because it's a rural branch but we have a library bus as well and it's fab. The kids are working towards a dragon medal at the minute and get stickers each time they go and get books out.

Tis also a great source of local gossip!.p

We LOVE our local library. kids can take 15 books out at a time (yes, 15), they do after school help with homework sessions, and dads and rhyme sessions, and self-service checkout for books quickens things hugely. Even book clubs for youngsters. The children's library is v well resourced, and since I am currently without work, saves us a small fortune and gives us somewhere to go when it rains. The male librarian was great with an eight year old at the weekend, asking why she had liked the book she was returning and what was great about it. I LOVE MY LIBRARY

Some people honestly don't know you can borrow books for free from libraries. If it's not part of your upbringing, it's just not on your radar.

Libraries were fantastic for me when I had an Aspergic toddler. With signs everywhere saying 'Libraries Love Babies' I felt quite confident to use the library to 'let him off the lead' when out in town. Nobody ever did comment on his very noisy exuberance.