Right now they are because I have lost a couple books and probably have about $50 in late fines and I'm too embarrassed/lazy to go in and deal with it.
I love our local library! I usually check out a few books of months for me, CDs to listen to while commuting, and allow each child to check out one book for every year of age. So my 8 year old son can check out up to 8 books per library trip, etc. my only complaint is the DVDs that are usually scratched beyond belief so we start a movie that we can't finish. But other than that issue, I LOVE the library and think it is a wonderful use of my dollars as a taxpayer.
ours is very easy to access, you just have to have a way to prove that you live within the city limits. They are open fairly late and everyday of the week with the exception of Legal holidays.
Keep in mind that the library there serves not only the town it is in but approximately 3-5 small villages and local farmers, etc. that are anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour away, with NO public transportation.
We have a county branch library in our town and it is easy to access. Downside is it is attached to the local elementary school. Which can cause issues with parking from time to time. Our library also has internet access, so for people without their own service it is a big plus.
The city keeps cutting library hours due to lack of funds. People pitched a fit when they said they were going to close the library closest to me on Saturdays. That is the only day many people can get there due to reduced days and hours during the week. They reneged, but it is only open for a few hours on Saturdays.
I no longer find it easy or convenient. You have to check online to see what days and times they are open because they change fairly regularly.
The city keeps cutting library hours due to lack of funds....I no longer find it easy or convenient. You have to check online to see what days and times they are open because they change fairly regularly.
This is exactly the same in my area. I still use the library a lot, but my work is close enough that I can drive over on my lunch break. Otherwise, there is only one evening a week that it's open later than 5 p.m. I don't even know if it's open on Saturdays any more since I'm not near it on the weekends. The one in my town is closed for an indefinite period.
It's pretty inconvenient and it makes me sad because I love libraries and think they are very important to communities for so many reasons.
We're in a town of less than 4,000 and our library is open six days a week. Additionally, we have online access for downloading digital media, searching the card catalog, and requesting books and DVDs 24/7.
We can also request paper books through interlibrary loan, which we use heavily. Our library is part of a regional library system and we can order online from all libraries in the system, except the Duluth library. But our librarian can order for us from Duluth.
We have online access to the Minneapolis public library's digital media catalog, too, using our local library cards.
We could also get books by mail, if we wanted to. There's also a way to get books from any library in our state. I forget the details now.
Our library serves not only our permanent residents, but is also heavily used by thousands of summer residents.
Our library is free to anyone who signs up for a card.
One of our city councilmen wants to close our library. He said at a council meeting he's never been in it and doesn't see any real use for it. It still boggles my mind there could possibly be anyone left who is that ignorant.
i live in a bigger city, so there are 14 branches to our local library. i live in an older part (read: big old old old houses in a city neighborhood), so we always use the huge main branch.
we love our library system though! ours is open 7 days a week during the school year (closed on sunday's over the summer) and stays open until 9p mon-thurs, and 6p fri-sun.
we do everything online.......pay late fees, place holds, renew books, cds, movies, etc. and we can order books from some of the larger libraries around if ours doesn't have it. and we're emailed for books coming due, and to let us know that our holds are ready for pick up.
I adore our library system! We have 13 small libraries around the city and an amazing online site that enables you to find out what activities they are each hosting and to have materials sent to the one closest to where you live. They also have a mobile library that will bring your books to you if you sign up for the service online and use the website to make a list of books you want to read. We are actually leaving for a library in 30 minutes so my older two can attend an American Girl book club. I don't know what I would do without our libraries!!! Oh and at least one is even open on Sundays!! Love it!!!
There is a library in the city where we live but we've never visited it. I do know it doesn't have computers for the public.
I grew up in libraries. I volunteered in libraries all through high school and worked in them all through college. I miss them but they're just not part of the culture here.
I live in a very rural area. We have two small libraries here, one on each end of the county. There isn't much selection unless you want paperback romance novels and it sometimes takes them months and months to get in new books. They have three computers the public can use and they are usually pretty busy. They do have a sign in sheet to use them and if people are waiting they give you a time limit and make you get off so others can use them. They are open Mon-Wed 9-5, closed on Thursday, 9-5 on Friday and 9-12 on Saturday and closed on Sunday.
In WV you get a library card that is good in any public library in WV. We also have inter-library loans but they won't loan anything that is very new. I like the library but there are times I go in and there is nothing new and I wander for 20 minutes and leave with nothing.
Also there is no public transportation here so if you live outside town it could be hard to access. Many kids don't get home from school until nearly 5 here with long bus rides so you wouldn't have time to go back to the library.
Our public library system is quite good. There are many branches and good hours. The branches I used to use were always quite busy. However, I rarely use it now, except for the occasional interlibrary loan. I think at this point, I would ask our own ILL librarian to order me anything I wanted - it's apparently free to us if any of the public libraries in Louisiana have it, and we can check that before ordering. If not, I would get the public library to track it down. But I have so much to read backed up on my Kindle, it would have to be something I really, really wanted to read to bother with that at all.
I live in a small town...actually I'm 8 miles out of town and yes the library is easy to access as long as you go during the day. They are not open at night. Computers are free but printing off anything costs (can't remember what). I honestly don't use the library since my eye sight has gotten bad but my daughter does. She loves to read.
I live in a small town (30 sq miles, about 5k people) and our library is the PITS. Small, antiquated, in disrepair...makes me really sad. We did pay about $30 one year to use one a few towns over, which was better, but still just OK. Then a friend mentioned she went to one in a town just over the state line, it's free, even for out-of-staters. The building is only a few years old, they hve plenty of current/fresh material and their inter-library lending system couldn't be beat. They have a NICE children's room with train table, doll house, puppet theater....my friends and often meet there to hang out and chat while the kids play, even though it's in a different state! It's about 20/25 minutes away and worth the drive.
I don't want my kids to even know there are libraries as sad as my town's library! We utilize the one we go to weekly, for both kids and adult books, and movies.
Library access is easy here. We have three beautiful libraries within a few minute drive from our house, one is walking distance. All of them are newer facilities with convenient hours.
We have a beautiful library. However I use their online services more than the actual library these days. You can even checkout Kindle books. They also have access to genealogy databases.
I love the library in our small city. It is centrally located downtown. All the public transit routes converge downtown, so anyone can get to the library without transferring buses. There is a large parking lot close to the library. Parking is free during the evening and weekends.
They have a ton of material to borrow including CDs, DVDs, books and magazines. They even lend electricity meters so you can determine how much various electronic appliances in your home use. There is free Internet access and you can reserve computer time or take your own laptop to use at the library.
They also have a large digital collection. I can access/download ebooks from my home computer. I can reserve ebooks and they email me when they are available. The card catalog is computerized and can be accessed from home. Books can be reserved from home and picked up at the library. They have a great website where I can manage my library card, renew books etc. If someone does not have internet access at home, books can be renewed through an automated system over the phone.
I am so excited because they are currently building another branch that will be within walking distance of my house, it will be open next month.
Easy access here. About a dozen branches, open until 9, variety of urban and suburban locations so accessible by bus, car, walking.
Catalogue is online, so you can find what you are looking for before you go in and/or have it sent to the branch you want. They can also do interlibrary loans with other libraries. Digital titles can just be checked out and downloaded from home.
They run children's programs, lecture series for adults, and offer literacy/ESL classes. Branches all have public access computers.
There is some genealogical stuff, but not a lot, and Ancestry access is only available at one branch. That is all available at the Public Archives. We also have 3 universities plus 3 campuses of the provincial college, all with libraries, if you want to do research that is beyond what a public library offers.
They are positioned now as a community/activity/social/fun place, not as a quiet research place (there's no shushing anymore!). For research you go to the archives or the universities.
I love my local library. My county library system has become the busiest in the U.S. (Surpassing New York). But that's what happens when you have nine months of drizzle.
Hours are great and they also have digital lending so I can download books on my Kindle without leaving home.
I don't use it much, but that is because the hours are not convenient- closed on Sundays. Closes by 7 on weeknights and 10-4 on Saturdays. When our kids were preschoolers we used it more. I think there are families who use it and those who do not. The location is fine and it is nice, but not a hub of our city. However, in the inner city here it is more challenging. There is not good public transportation so if you cannot drive you are kind of out of luck. There is one large library in the middle of downtown. It is far for many people to use on a regular basis, get there at night, etc. Big and beautiful and never crowded.
The building itself is a beautiful red stone victorian, however, minimal internet access, only open three days (and while I'm working). There is no handicapped accessibility (a spiral curved staircase, just a moveable ramp for front door steps), and no parking (okay, three spots which are always being used by the librarian, a helper volunteer, and somebody else.) I wish it was easier to use!
Small , rural area here -- NO library access at all. Nearest is almost 50 miles away, and it costs $160/year to obtain a card if you live out of their "district".
I get books at yards sales, other city library sales and utilize the free stuff on the net.
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