Using the Library

Do others use the library as much as you? Terry asked me recently. You always seem to be getting automated phone calls from the library telling you books are in.

I think so. Books I request often have a long waiting list. But maybe most people don't use the public library exactly like I do...

I rarely go into my local branch to check the shelves. Instead I go online...

When I hear about an interesting book, I check the online catalog to see if our library has it. If they do, I put a copy on hold.

(The library has more than a dozen branches, so the book I want is rarely in my local branch.)

I can also request  books in various formats: conventional paper books, e-books I download from home on my e-reader. at. Increasingly I've been requesting audio books on CD.

From time to time, I check my account to see if any books I've requested are available. When they do come in, I get the automated phone call Terry was mentioning (above).

I see that two titles I've requested have arrived. Another is in transit. Maybe I'll wait till it arrives, too.

When I head over to my local branch, I go straight to the "on hold" shelves. There I find my books waiting with my name on them.

I take them to the checkout machine and check then out. I rarely need to talk to a librarian at all...

When it comes to returning the book,. I can drop it into an outdoor drop box at any library branch. They are accessible 24/7.

I can also drop it off indoors - again putting it into a slot where it lands on a conveyor belt and is automatically checked in.

I should add that if I've requested a downloadable book for my e-reader, which I like to do in winter when I don't want to go outdoors. I wait to hear that it's available, then download it via the internet. When I'm finished reading it, I simply delete it. No need to even go near a library building!

The library also lends movies, music CD's... and musical instruments. I'd like to borrow bongo drums sometime. I don't think you can renew instruments - there is along waiting list for each one!

(So different from the way I used the library when I was a child!)