LOVE IT: Public Libraries

When was the last time you actually stepped foot into a public library? Do you even know where your public library is?

Public Libraries are THE BEST free resource a community has (free, as in: included in your taxes.) You can walk into your public library and surf the net for FREE, you can check out the latest movies on DVD for FREE, you take home CDs to listen and load to your iPod for FREE, you can borrow audiobooks to take on roadtrips for FREE, you can sign up for classes and lectures in your community for FREE, your can sit and read the latest magazines or newspapers from around the world for FREE, you can hang out and get work or studying done without feeling like you need to buy something just to be there... and did you notice I haven't even mentioned books?!!

Here are just a few of the DVDs and CDs that I can check out at my local library...




On top of saving you money, libraries are also socially responsible and environmentally friendly. They are the ultimate example of an institution built upon the idea of reusing and recycling with hundreds of resources being borrowed and returned every day. Anything you want to learn about is easy to access with a little help from a librarian, and if there's a better resource on the net, they'll give you that too!! Today's librarians aren't just knowledgable about books, they're very internet savvy and they have the ability to tap into databases and bodies of knowledge that you may have never even known about. Librarians are like having your own personal search engine with the ability to weed out things that aren't relevant to your search before you ever have to see them.

As a bride planning a wedding, the public library is the perfect place to find a CD of wedding music which you can take home and listen to samples of complete ceremony pieces without buying an entire CD you'll probably never listen to again. It's also a great place to find wedding planning books, etiquette books, or books with gorgeous decorating ideas that normally would be expensive to purchase and take home from the bookstore. Travel books can help you find the perfect spot for a honeymoon and even your best man can find a book on giving the perfect toast. While there are a lot of resources on the web, sometimes they just aren't complete enough or take too much time to surf through before you find what you're looking for.

In all likelihood, you're probably a lot like me with tons of stuff to do and very little time to do it all, so reading is a pretty low priority on your to-do list even if you feel it's important. However, you might also be like me and find yourself in the car for hours at a time, bored with listening to the same over-played, over-produced, shoved-down-our-throught-because-someone-paid-a-lot-of-money-for-it-to-be-on-the-air songs over and over again. My solution to both of the above dilemas is audio books. It's important for me to make the most of my time, so audiobooks help me feel more productive while I'm in the car, allowing me to learn something new or catch up on the latest bestseller that everyone is crazy about (before it gets bastardized into a movie version.) Lately I've listened to some pretty amazing books, and I love that I don't have to pay to download them from iTunes, take up more storage on my hard drive, or find a place to put them on my overly crowded bookshelves when I'm done! If, after listening to a book, I know that I absolutely must have it so that I can reference it for ideas, then I can decide if its worth buying and keeping in my library.

See why I super-heart libraries? Another great thing is that if the library doesn't have what you want, they may even try to get it for you... for freeee. Have you heard of The Secret? Well, I pretty much knew what the whole thing was about so I really didn't want to pay for a copy of the DVD that I'd probably only watch once, or for a book that I'd only read once, so I asked my library if they had it. They didn't, but the librarian said, "do you think we should get it?" I said, "sure- a lot of people have been talking about it," and within a week, the DVD was in the library and even being held for me behind the counter! Isn't that special!? Talk about great customer service! Oh yeah, and did you know that most libraries let you renew your materials online or over the phone- so you don't even have to revisit the library if you know you're going to be late on returning an item?! Plus, most libraries give you plenty of time to check items out, and my local library has never even charged me a fee for the times when I forgot to renew materials online or ended up returning them late. They're just cool like that.

Since I've been doing a lot of driving for weddings this summer, I've had a chance to listen to some really great books which I never would have had the chance to read. So, if you're looking for something really interesting for your next road trip or commute, I recommend any of the following titles!! Some are fascinating pieces of research that will change the way you think about ordinary things, some are inspiring, and some are just downright classics that everyone should read once in their lifetime. Call your local library to see if they're on the shelves now, check it out for free, and pop it in your CD player or load it up to your ipod to listen to while you're traveling or even working at your computer!



If you made it this far- I would love to send you my signature "Live. Love. Green." Canvas Tote Bag for your next trip to the library!! All you have to do is tell me the title and author of your all-time favorite book in the comments below. Maybe it was a childhood book, maybe it was something you read last week! Next Tuesday, one lucky winner will be chosen!


Updated: 9/4/07
The number 33 was chosen at random which was determined to find out who our tote bag winner was and DAMON left the 33rd comment!! Damon- please email me so that I can send you your prize!! I've also gathered a list of your favorite books and I will make it a personal goal to read them all in my lifetime (unfortunately I could only include 38 titles, so some are missing but most are there)!!! CLICK HERE for my blogreaders' Favorite Books!! I also received an email from Katie about joining GoodReads.com a social reader's website where you can share your favorite books and see what your friends are reading!! If you're on this site, please send me an email with a link to your favorites!! Thank you everyone who participated!!!