Do you use your local library? If not why not?

[Ulysees]

We're lucky enough to have a good library in our village. It's open Thursday to Saturday.

I use it pretty regularly. Order books online usually.

I rang today as a book I want isn't available and the librarian said she'll request the library buy it in. It's the Julia Child book My life in France. So there won't just be me borrowing it.

I do buy books too. I just think it's a shame more don't use their library. They'll be gone one day.

I used to when the DC were younger and I worked p/t so could take them on my days off - now I work full time and it’s closed in the evenings/weekends, so I can’t get to it.

Nope since they reduced the opening times so they're not easy at all to get to.

I GO to the library a lot - since my office is in the same building, but that's not my local one so I can't get anything I walk past that looks interesting out (I live in a different county).

@CoffeeWithCheese Have they refused you membership? I use both my county and the one where I work

Really good question. Ours is quite a small branch so whilst we have areas such as the room we use for groups which customers are welcome to use when it's not occupied no we don't have a designated quiet time.

I wouldn't say it's a noisy library though except when kids are in after school or on the holidays

We used the library when the kids were small, it supported DD1's rainbow fairy habit for a while and we took the kids to various activities there.

But I have rarely used the local library for myself, I can afford to buy all the books I want to read and have rather more eclectic tastes than the 101 romances our local library has for adults. While I know I could order books in I can get them much quicker by buying them from Waterstones or Blackwells and they are new copies and I can keep them. I have just donated 100s of picture books to our primary school library so I am supporting libraries, just not by being a user right now. Maybe I will when I retire and have more time and less money. I used my college library a lot as a student because they had a good selection of novels.

I used to when DC were small but there was a really unfriendly librarian so we stopped. Its closed now

Yes! I love my library and the librarians in it. The books, the clubs they have on and loads more.

It was closed for repairs recently and I felt really lost without it

Yes I use my library. I reserve books for myself and for DC. Last book I reserved was a few months ago - a Tracy Chevalier novel. And today I reserved Sonic the Hedgehog and Star Wars graphic novels for DC. I do pop in occasionally to browse any new books that have arrived, or what's popular.

I use the Libby app too, currently listening to City of Last Chances. And I downloaded the PressReader app, accessible thanks to my local library.

@43ontherocksporfavor world of books, basically.
cheap or usually cheap books and has a wide range of books. (ebay)
last time i used the library was for a couple of hours with research

I use my library but there are often not enough copies of popular 'literary' books, so waiting times of months. Other new (more easy reading) books there seem to be one at every branch with only a couple booked out at a time.

Yes I do. The one nearest to me has daft opening times so I sometimes use others within a few miles. I mostly use it to order new books which saves me loads of money.

The mobile library parks about 100m from my house every other Monday. I usually get around 10 books as sometimes I'm not in when it comes (and it doesn't come on bank holidays). Although they are date stamped we don't get fined for late returns and half the time the computer isn't working so they don't even know what we've taken! I love it - it's like having a bookshop delivered to my door. We live rurally where public transport isn't great so the mobile library is a very well used service.

I don't even know where it is ?
How embarrassing, moved less than 2 years ago but no excuse.
Plan joining and going for a mooch soon !

I've got two within easy walking distance and another two a short bus ride away that I regularly go to for other reasons. They're open at weekends and until 7pm some days, so no trouble to visit. They're always very good for new "buzzy" books.

I used them for reading all the Slough House series last year, but at the moment I've got a huge backlog of books to read that I got for Xmas or picked up for free from tube station book shelves so don't need to hit the library for a while.

Yes, love it. I currently have 20 library books out.

I used to, but it’s now only open when I’m at work.

We don’t anymore unfortunately.

It’s only open 12-3 Tuesdays and Thursdays and every 3rd Saturday from 10-12. The website is never updated so trying to work out which Saturday is the open Saturday is impossible (it changes with bank holidays and staff holidays)

The primary school DD goes to has a book swap cupboard that folks donate books to and she uses that.

Every week at least once, often twice.

Another East of England dweller here with fabulous libraries: open Saturday and Sunday, can post books back through the door any time, free reservations from any of the county's stocks.

Tea and coffee is 20p.

They do an amazing job on a shoestring, including crafts etc.

I do a mixture of ebooks that I buy, Libby eBooks, and library books, as well as borrowing from friends and occasionally buying a real book.

I rarely find a book I want on the shelves of my local library but I don't expect to - in order books in.

They'll also purchase recommendations but that's usually about 6 weeks from start to finish so unless it's a whole series I'm generally too impatient and just buy it.

Yes, every Saturday we trudge to the library as they have a quiet study room where dc do their homework (no space at home). Generally there is no one else there, so we stop after an hour get a drink from the cafe, and then do another hour or two (dd yr 10 so quite a bit of homework).

Papillon, I'm very jealous your library is open on a Sunday!

They're currently consulting to tender the library contract and I desperately hope the current cic retain it, they're fab.

We lost late night opening over COVID but better than losing Sundays.

There are relatively few books compared to a few years ago and almost never anything I want for me or for the kids. It's insanely loud and full of uncontrolled children screaming/riding the book trolleys etc whilst staff beam at them because they encourage kids "acting like kids".

We have cards so we can use audiobooks online.

Great so many are using them.

Odd that people are posting saying they don't read on a what are you reading thread 🤣