Our budgets are tight these days and while new books are expensive, we still want to read. Though reading isn’t the priciest pastime out there, all those hardbacks add up in a hurry. Fortunately, there are non-Amazon resources out there to help you find books that are cheaper or, in some cases, free (and legal). The first resource is, of course, a local public library¹. Some of you will say “obviously”, but it’s important to use community resources like these, especially now when a lot of politicians want to defund them and book banners want to get rid of things they don’t like. Even if you regularly use your public library to check out books, you might not be aware of the many, many other services they provide. Aside from books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, and video games, libraries also offer community spaces, study rooms, free WiFi, and shelter from the elements. My local library also offers tax preparation services, job search services, classes, document printing, 3-D printing, as well as hosting trivia nights, story time for children, and the ability to check out ukuleles. Yes, ukuleles. They also provide access to dozens of databases covering a broad range of topics from music to genealogy to law. For books that aren’t available at your local library, check with a librarian to find out if they participate in inter-library loan programs. For a modest fee of $3.50/book, I’ve been able to check out a variety of hard-to-find or expensive books my home library did not have. It can take a while to receive them, but for me, it’s been worth the wait and the price. If you’re in a rural area or can’t easily access the library in-person, check to see if the closest library has a bookmobile that comes to your community, or if they provide access to Overdrive, Libby, or Hoopla. These are apps you can download to a smartphone or tablet that allow you to check out ebooks and other media. The checkout limits will be different from one library to another. You may also be able to access newspapers, magazines, and music via the library’s website. If your local library’s digital selection is smaller than you’d like, check to see if your state or region has a library consortium. In many cases, a group of smaller libraries will form a consortium that allows area residents access to the consortium’s digital collection. The Consortium of Ohio Libraries gives Ohio residents access to ten different public library collections, while the Nebraska OverDrive Consortium gives residents outside of Lincoln and Omaha access to 196 digital collections from across the state. Colleges and universities might also make materials available to non-students for an annual fee or with other restrictions. For example, my alma mater allows city residents to get a free university library card, but the checkout times are shorter and many materials are not allowed out of the library. But still, the university has quite the collection so even the somewhat limited access is worth going in to get the card. Larger library systems may grant non-residents access to their collections. Some may charge a fee, others might not. The Brooklyn Public Library, for example, provides free cards to residents of the state of New York, while the Seattle Public Library allows non-residents to get a library card for an annual fee of $85. You can also check with a friend or family member to see if they would be able to add you to their digital library card. This will depend upon their library’s rules, but I know some libraries allow several users to be logged in to a single account, and their high checkout limits allow those cards to be used kind of like a community card. Library sales are also good places to find inexpensive books. My local library system used to have an annual sale in October at a community event center, but after all the disruptions caused by Covid in 2020 and beyond, they shifted to having sale shelves year round at every library branch. There are two bookcases near the entrance that are refilled once or twice a week with donated books or books that have been weeded from the regular collection. Other libraries might still have yearly or seasonal sales. The offerings are unpredictable and the shelves often overflow with bestsellers from twenty years ago, but I’ve found the occasional gem for a dollar or two.
Speaking of libraries– Little Free Library is a Minnesota-based non-profit that helps people share books around their communities. You can get a little free library kit to build at home and register it via the their website so it shows up on the Little Free Library’s official map or on sites like Apple Maps. There may be non-official little libraries out there, so keep an eye out for them if you’re out and about. The standard practice is to leave a book if you take one. If you decide to set up a Little Free Library, be sure to check with local laws to make sure you don’t build it in the wrong spot and run afoul of things like zoning restrictions. Local businesses like coffee shops and cafes might have their own little collections of donated books for book swaps, so have a look around the next time you stop by your neighborhood coffee shop for a latte. If they don’t have one, try suggesting they start one if they have some free space. The worst they can do is say ‘no’. Senior centers might also have books on sale for low prices. I have also visited used bookshops or independent bookstores have shelves or boxes of free books available. These are often donated books or old stock that hasn’t sold (in the case of used shops) or advance copies of new titles that the independent shops receive in abundance but cannot sell. And of course, a charity/thrift shops sell books, and you will probably find some if you regularly attend garage/yard/tag sales. I had intended to make a single post about resources for free and cheap books, but once I started talking about libraries, I realized that a single post would be too long, so I’m going to break this up into three (I hope) posts covering different book resources. If you have suggestions for library and community book resources, feel free to share them in the comments.
1
I live in the United States and have never checked out the library systems when I’ve traveled out of the country, so I can only speak to library resources here in the US. Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment