love that library; 50+reasons to visit your local library

a place where your mere presence pays the bills

like most of you i remember sitting crisscross apple sauce on the navy carpet of a 90’s/2000’s school library, a mere pebble on the shore of a story read to us by a kind woman probably wearing glasses. libraries remained the constant in my shifty life, thanks to my mom. we moved often, but it was dependable that the first place we would land was the public library. i loved it. regardless of what city/state/country i found myself in, the library was warm, interesting, and wholly open to me.

it was natural, then, that i started volunteering at 15 and simply did not leave until 2024, around my 30s. i have well over a decade of experience working in public libraries- a fact that, without fail, prompts someone to turn and study my face, wondering how a girl of my age could possibly have such expertise in any field at all- and i adored it. a handful of jobs and a masters degree in library science later, i ache a bit not to work there day in and day out as i used to. i don’t return to the library as often as i had always imagined, a lost habit that feels like a lost part of me.

i don’t think i’m the only one who forgets about the library, sometimes, so i wanted to remind you that this church exists, and it exists just for you and your privacy.

before i get into some things a local library may offer you, i want to remind you that in this political cycle we toss around the word resistance and imagine actionable goals. however, i firmly believe one of the most radical things you can do is support the most antifascist institution, simply by showing up. reliably, any fascist leader will target archives and community spaces first. the nazi’s burned books, the current administration deleted important webpages and blamed DEI, books are banned from schools, and booksellers and poets are arrested throughout the world every day. history keeping, storytelling, and free third spaces are a direct threat to authoritarians, because they empower individuals, create empathetic and fierce communities, and protect citizen privacy, a practice DOGE obv isn’t subscribed to. libraries stay funded because we show up and merely walk in the door. they get more funding when you utilize them. mind you, it’s not just the library that gets funded. libraries provide jobs, and librarians deserve your care and comradery, especially amid the emotional labor that the job requires of you. i promise you that being kind to a librarian is a massive gift to a civil servant who is likely exhausted and grieving under the current state of affairs. this is a true battleground where you have power.

and, it’s true, you might as well, cause you’re payin for it whether or not you use it. not much, mind you, but enough. use what’s yours, baby!

okay, welcome in! what can you get out of a library?!

1. of course, free books. love booktok? miss reading? want to delve into your special interest? check out upwards of 50-150 books for freeee, baby. check books out before you buy them. it’ll save you money and guide you to purchasing just what you adore, and continue to support publishers and authors monetarily, for libraries are buying more copies than you could dream of.

2. and dvd’s. a lot of y’all are trying to figure out how to divest from amazon prime, netflix, hbo, etc, and here is an answer.

3. streaming is still our thing, yeah? no worries. many libraries offer kanopy or indieflix. we love kanopy. if you’re a letterboxd fiend, tap in and find all the arthouse film festival films you could want.

4. ebooks and audiobooks. again, free. join as many regional libraries as you can muster to expand the collection available to you 24/7. if you’re lucky, they have libby which will combine catalogues and likely work on whatever device you prefer.

5. video games. we had playstation, switch, wii, and xbox.

6. space. if you need a true third space, libraries have your back. whether you want to cowork or work solo or rent out a whole room… you can.

7. scanners and printers. zinesters rejoice.

8. custom recommendations. i’ve been asked for favorite picks of specific genres or tropes, as well as picture books dealing with a specific life issue. anything goes, really.

9. interlibrary loans. not seeing what you’re looking for at your library? see if they’ll loan it from another library in the state/country/world. chances are they will. you can even find random materials like novelty baking sheets offered by other libraries.

10. cd’s and physical audiobooks for your cars and burning pleasure. yep, they still make ‘em. kind of. for now. enjoy it while you can.

11. magazines, newspapers, and sometimes zines. if you haven’t opened a physical copy of the news lately, you should. it feels good.

12. “weeded” magazines, retired from the collection, for your collage / junk journaling pleasure.

13. materials in other languages. put your duolingo streak to good use.

14. access to online news and magazines 24/7. it’s likely your library has a subscription to the new york times, the wall street journal, local papers, and other paywalled news sources. get around the paywall and stay up to date by tapping through your local library. you might also have access to hundreds of magazines, virtually. it’s too fun, and a refreshing alternative to the endless scroll.

15. weird and wonderful streaming music, often featuring harder to find tracks.

16. for all of you (me) who wake up and try not to apply to grad school every day, see if your library offers the great courses, a series of online lectures taught by often ivy league professors.

17. did y’all know that duolingo recently ditched human staff for AI? yipee. because that will transcend the nuance and fascination of human language. if you want to withhold your dollars, see if your library offers rosetta stone or mango languages. mine offers both.

18. resume and job hunting resources. the worst part of looking for a job is looking for a job and applying for it. ease the process by peeking at your library’s offerings, whether you want irl or virtual resume or interview help, access to paywalled resume templates, and more.

19. tutors and homework help. again, these options are usually offered irl and virtually. whether you want to speak to a person, or access brainfuse, a service that allows you to submit homework and receive feedback… a library probably offers it. for freeeee.

20. random online classes, for art, careers, yoga, computer programming, and far more. they likely have a subscription to a platform.

21. writing and craft contests, workshops, and groups. find your community, ho.

22. consumer business and health reports. you may think, why do i need this, but trust and tap through next time you need to make a bigger purchase or contemplate a new med. you deserve information about what you’re having to buy into. a quick search can reveal some life changing information that empowers you to advocate for yourself, or at least offer you the peace and confidence when you say, “yes.”

23. primary sources archives. in this day and age it is of the utmost value to know that the work we are doing- and beliefs we hold- are part of a lineage of incredible humans. often a library will be subscribed to a primary sources archive organized by event or topic; think, anything from an archive of the weekly newspaper the listener published 1929-1991 by the bbc covering news, arts and more, to aclu records from 1912-1990 on free speech, citizenship, race, discrimination and more, and a transnational archive of slavery and anti-slavery materials throughout history.

24. legal paperwork templates. these are useful when you are, say, drafting a lease, starting divorce, or, whatever adulting you need to do.

25. board games

26. game consoles

27. tools

28. seeds

29. instruments

30. hotspots you can take home

31. and free wifi on location

32. museum and park passes

33. computers

34. makerspaces featuring things like adobe’s creative cloud, 3d and resin printers, cnc machines, laser printers and engravers, sewing machines, recording equipment, large format printing, and more. access is free, bring your materials.

35. some libraries offer notary and passport photos, but do check online before coming in for these services.

36. if you, for some, reason need to fax, a library might have a machine. they might not, and if they don’t they should direct you to faxzero.com where you can fax scanned images for freeeee.

37. tax help. it’s that dreaded time of year. libraries usually have a partnership with a company or org like aarp to provide free professional assistance. spots fill up quick tho so be gentle with your librarians.

38. the most random events imaginable. go search their websites for events and find out what meetups and events are offered. you’ll likely find anything from book clubs to yoga to craft circles to dnd to game nights to cake decorating.

39. two library systems in my area offer power check devices (to monitor energy usage in your home) and laptops. they work in a pinch.

40. refugee, immigrant, and citizenship services and courses. if you don’t need these services, it’s worth checking out right now, in case of volunteer opportunities. this community needs you right now (and always).

41. genealogy subscriptions and resources for when you’re deep in your cyber stalking phase.

42. art exhibits, a great way to discover local artists.

43. technology classes to pass your aging parents off onto

44. movie screenings and local music showcases

45. author events

46. LGBTQ+ lectures

47. estate planning workshops

48. themed guided tours of your city, sometimes in app form. we offer a tour of the racial history of our city, and it’s life changing.

49. ai and judgement free answers. the weirdest part of the job is being human google in person, over phone, or over text. the foundation of libraries is privacy; service with 0 judgement. come ask us anything.

50. bias free information about elections, taxes, and other important events.

51. period products. hopefully. my last hurrah was getting my 15 branch library system to offer free period products in all restrooms, and i deeply hope this becomes the norm.

52. connection to free community resources. while a librarian can’t solve a specific issue or need, they can connect you with the experts who can.

53. book sales offering heavily discounted materials.

54. summer reading programs, often for kiddos. hey, a free book!

55. literacy services for all ages. it’s vital for children to visit the library and build literacy skills from birth.

56. legislative coffee to connect you, face to face, with your government representatives

okay, but—

if you’re worried about fines, most libraries are doing away with a fine system. and, you can always explain a situation and ask them to forgive your fines. i did it constantly, before we went fine-free.

if you can’t physically come into a library for any reason, see if they have e-cards so you can access their e-library, and home delivery. usually libraries have a system to deliver materials if you are homebound.

if you worry about your data being tracked, a library is your safe haven. privacy is the ultimate foundation of a public library, and your information, check out/search history, or questions will never, ever be shared. it is rarely even stored. you are safe here. this will be important.

if you fear you’ll feel unwelcome, know that most libraries allow you to bring in coffee or food, and it’s not like you need to be silent. i was hushed by patrons more often than i asked patrons to quiet down.

if you don’t have an ID or a permanent address, there are often ways around it.

one more way to show up for your library after it shows up for you,

is to get loud about supporting your library’s decisions. in today’s world of book and dei banning, it is imperative that you reach out to your local library’s board and thank them for defending our constitutional and human right of free speech and access to information, and for continually providing access to materials by diverse individuals. library boards need to hear love for diverse work more than they hear complaints— and i assure you they encounter complaints, hate articles, and tricky situations irl. your local librarians may very well be putting their careers (and, frankly, lives) on the line to continually provide books by brown, queer, and immigrant writers, and they deserve your support. if you’re curious about the state of things at your local library, you can usually find acquisition policies on their websites… and just feel free to ask how you can better support their work.

already a big public library fan?

i encourage you to poke around your local colleges and museums to see what other libraries you can find! you’ll find that many institutions have libraries at least semi-open to the public, and all of them deserve our support!

what do you love about your local public library? i would really love to hear, and celebrate.

love from your local ex librarian,

m