Life Experiences & Observations

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Tag: library

April 9, 2014

The Most Valuable Card in My Wallet

Picture 1159Do you remember in the movie “Good Will Hunting” when Matt Damon’s character gets in a verbal scuffle with a pony tailed Harvard student. Will tells the student that he will eventually realize that he spent over $100,000 on an education that he could get with $1.28 worth of late charges at the public library. Really think about it for a minute. Assuming you have a good library, you should be able to get the knowledge of any student at any college. And yes, this includes Harvard. Sure one could argue that you can get the same knowledge through the internet but there is no card in my wallet that gives me access to the internet. I had to dash your cynical rebuttal somehow. And no my cell phone is not a card and it definitely doesn’t fit in my wallet.

I know I have blogged previously about my love of the library. But I have been putting more thought into it and the more I think about it the more I realize how valuable the library really is. The library gives you free access to, in theory, an infinite amount of knowledge available through Books, eBooks, CDs, and DVDs. Before we even knew what the internet was, there was a physical internet in everyone’s back yard. Back in the day, the library was the internet. Maybe you live somewhere in which your library is a ghost town. In my neighborhood the library is consistently busy. In fact, if you go there soon after any regular school day its like Grand Central Station. We do have the luxury here in that the library closest to my house is only a few years old. There is, however, a library 20 minutes from my house next to a mall that has been there for at least 20 years. It is the smallest library I have ever been to. Just recently they decided to track the number of visitors they get. In a years time, a dinky little library more than 20 years old had over 100,000 visitors.

And just when you thought the library concept was slowly drifting away into non-existence, you have underestimated its value. It may very well be the most valuable building in your city. If not, the library card you own is definitely the most valuable card in your wallet. What?!? You say you don’t own a library card?? What are you waiting for? Not getting a library card is like not picking up a $100 bill lying in the street. Grab it, get it, use it, and be rewarded.

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April 6, 2014

The Re-Alignment of My Book Consumption Chain

book picI have a love hate relationship with the large box store book sellers. I guess I should say seller since there is really only one left. Barnes & Noble is the sole survivor. There was a time in my life some years ago, that I was hoping that the big box book seller would disappear. I was hoping for a David and Goliath type tale where the puny independent bookstore defeats the monster book Godzilla. But with Borders long gone, my daughter and me perusing the books at Barnes & Noble, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the last big book store.

I have been meaning to purchase a lengthy book I couldn’t finish after borrowing it from the library. I would have renewed it a 4th time but it was on hold for many of other readers. So with a B&N gift card in hand, I was excited to purchase it without having to dip into my shallow wallet. I already knew that it costs $15.95 on Amazon.com but I was happy to pay a little more knowing I had the gift card. To my dismay, the price was actually $12 more at 27.95. I wish I could say that I loathe Amazon.com the way I loathe Wall-mart, but I love their service and the beauty of Amazon Prime. It delivers me a cheap book or any other items in two days with no shipping cost to bear. In my sadness, I couldn’t help but feel some joy for the small book retailer. It sounds absurd but they are actually doing better than the last big box bookstore. Much of it because of their ability to pay you for your old books and give you gently used books in exchange.

In my quest for life simplification I have mostly moved away from buying new books. The library has become my mecca of knowledge. The one thing I didn’t like about the lack of book possession has now been replaced with the Goodreads’ app tracking mechanism. Yes, I am still somewhat vane about being able to see the list of my literary accomplishments. No longer on my shelves and instead in my little iPhone app. Another thing I like about the library is the pending due date pressure. It is helping me overcome my habit of starting a book and not finishing it until months later. Sure I can renew it but the holds on the better reads pressures me into reading them quickly before the hold reaper comes calling. So my book consumption chain has now been re-aligned. My distaste for big box booksellers has been replaced with a sadness due to their pending sickness and ultimate death. Their vibrant eBooks daughter and their cheery library son are the therapy for my ills of grief. I don’t like eBooks at this point in my life, but I am sure there will be a day where I will be sad about the end of the physical library since it will ultimately only exist in the digital universe.

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