What's free, easy, and an unlimited resource of entertainment and knowledge? The New York Public Library!!! My love affair with the public library system has gone on and off for the past seven and a half years, since I moved to NYC. Every once in a while I experience a surge of, "oh yeah! I LOVE the library!" I'm in the middle of such a surge right now.
A couple of weeks ago I heard an interview with Rocco DiSpirito on my favorite morning radio show, where he was promoting his newest cookbook. I liked the general idea of it (creating healthier versions of everyone's favorite recipes), but I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to buying a $30 cookbook. Suddenly it dawned on me that I could probably check out the book from the library, so I did! My local library is very small and has limited selection, but I can log online and quickly add a book to my "cart," and within a day or two I receive an email alerting me to the fact that the book is now available for me at the branch down the street from my house. I actually requested two of Rocco's cookbooks, read through them, picked out my favorites, and happily returned the books without spending a dime or taking up precious space in my bookshelf.
In the past month, I have checked no less than seven or eight books out from the library. I borrowed the newest book from my favorite author (Jodi Picoult - love!), some recommendations from my mom and friend, two cookbooks, and some parenting books. I have probably read and returned a couple of hundred dollars worth of books...all for free! What could be better?!
When I was in second grade, I told my parents that I wanted a pet rabbit. They told me that before I could get a rabbit, I needed to go to the library and read up on rabbit diseases and rabbit care, so that I could truly understand what I'd be getting myself into. Looking back, it's obvious that they had no intentions of buying me a rabbit, but some creative parenting put the decision in my hands and made me realize it was more than I bargained for. Perhaps this experience was the beginning of my realization that the library is an amazing resource!
My kids spend a lot of time at the NYPL as well. Not only do they have a little children's section with books and puppets and a reading rug, but they have story time and a free weekly arts & crafts workshop. The boys and their friends hang out there almost every day during the week (especially in the colder months), and I hope it's helping to foster their appreciation of reading. Budget cuts have caused a reduction in library hours and programming over the past few years, but that hasn't changed the fact that the library - when used the right way - can be an invaluable resource.
Just got back from the library myself!
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