Well, another easy answer: both. I used to enjoy going to the library with my kid to borrow books – it was fun to explore the shelves and see which the librarians would recommend. Since COVID though, we don’t go in person to indoor spaces that we don’t absolutely have to go to. So we haven’t been to the library in over two years now. That said, back at the beginning of COVID I discovered their digital catalogue. And I make full use of it. I love borrowing audiobooks in particular, because they’re really expensive to buy, there’s always some available immediately, and they’re good for my kid to listen to as we can do that with the screen turned off so it’s not screen time. I’ve found the library to be an invaluable resource during this horrible time, and I’ve been grateful for it every single day.
I can’t always get every book I want through them, and some have such a long waiting list that it’s going to take a year or more to actually get access to a book, so I do also buy books – physical, ebooks and audiobooks. But I will always use the library as well. I used to volunteer in a local community library for most of my childhood, so libraries are, to me, a very comforting space. I think they’re vital to communities and provide access to books for those who can’t otherwise afford them. So I definitely want to support them and use them to add numbers to their clients, in case that makes any difference at all for funding! I’m really looking forward to heading back to the library once it feels safer to do so.
What about you guys? Are you library patrons? Or do you prefer to stick to books you can buy yourself so you can keep them as long as you want and/or pass them on to friends or family when you’re done?
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