Why I Love My Library

Agent Michelle Witte started a #librarylove hashtag today on Twitter. I didn’t go back and read the original article she linked to, but the gist of it was that a few–and I stress few–authors felt like people were “stealing” their books by getting them from the library. I’m not going to go into that, but it has inspired me to blog about why I love my library.

I grew up getting books from the library. Frankly, my parents couldn’t afford to buy me new books all the time, and my allowance only took me so far until I was old enough to work. Now that I can afford it, I still use the library quite a bit. If I buy a book, that means I plan to read it more than once, and I often don’t know that until I’ve read something by the author. Now, there are some special cases where I’ve interacted with the author and so I’ll automatically buy their book, but for the most part, I want to read it first.

I’m also someone who prefers paperbacks, so I’ll often get a book from the library and then buy it when it comes out in paperback. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s even better now that I can get quite a few books from the library electronically. What a wonderful resource to get books out to people! Because it’s about more than making money, right?

But, since I love my lists, here are five things I love about the library.

1. It fosters a love of reading. I know this from my own experience, but now that I have kids of my own, I get to see their excitement. They have tons of books at home, but going to the library is a special treat. They can pick out new stories to explore, and for two weeks we read those over and over. We’ve discovered new authors we wanted to buy as a result and new interests for the kids as well.

2. They have great events. My local library (St. Louis County Library) brings a lot of authors to town. I attended an author event this weekend with Ally Carter and Victoria Schwab. I’d read a few of Ally Carter’s books, but I hadn’t read Victoria Schwab. I ended up buying both of their books and waiting in line with at least a hundred teenage girls to get them signed. It’s exciting both to meet authors and see them reaching out to their fans. Our library also has quite a few events targeted at kids, and we’ve taken ours. Lots of fun!

3. It makes books accessible. I’m fortunate in that I can pick and choose what I want to buy versus get from the library, but many people don’t have that option. The library makes books accessible for everyone, and as a writer, I wouldn’t want money to keep someone from reading my books.

4. It’s information central. I’m past my days of research papers, but I still do research for my novels. Even with the internet, there are times I need to go more in-depth, and the library has the resources I need.

5. It helps me become a better writer. Really this goes with points two through four. The library helps me improve–through events, resources, and the ability to read many more books than I would if I had to buy them all. If you’ve read one of my reviews, chances are I got that book from the library, and maybe even bought my own copy later :).

And with that, I have two books reserved that I need to go pick up …

Responses to “Why I Love My Library”

  1. waneekah

    I completely agree! I love the library too. The library is suitable for everyone. I speak for myself I was never a reader. In fact, I hated reading books until 12th grade. I finished 12th grade a year ago. The library has everything you want to read. When you mentioned about authors thinking the library is not helping profits for them I think anyone who thinks that way should certainly not be given the credibility of an author. I have read some great books which I borrowed from the library. I am a paperback fan too. But, I now prefer E-readers because most books can be downloaded online. I don’t read a book twice so for me it is pretty good. I love your post. Everything you mentioned in this post makes sense and I can relate to it.

    Reply
    • Michelle I. Mason

      Thanks for stopping by! I could go into a lot of reasons why that comment about hurting profits is wrong, but decided not to go there. I’m glad to hear you have a great library, too!

      Reply
  2. Carla Cullen

    I’ll add another reason to love the library – it’s a fantastic resource if you have kids! Thanks to my library, my kids (ages 15 & 12) have taken a chance on a lot of authors and books they might never have read. If they love a certain series, then we usually purchase the books, but this is a great way to try out new authors.

    Reply
  3. T.L. Bodine

    Another great thing about libraries: They’re a “safe” place away from home. If you need to escape for a while for whatever reason, they’re always a good place to go. It’s especially good when you’re a kid and you need time away from your family/whatever, but it’s great even as an adult when you need somewhere to go that isn’t your house.

    Reply

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