In Praise of Libraries
I love libraries. My local library is one of my favorite places. It helps me build my home economy in many ways.
The library supplies plenty of material for that terrific free activity: reading. It has fiction and nonfiction, recent best-sellers, old favorites and the classics. Right now, I'm rereading Dorothy L. Sayers' mystery The Nine Tailors . If you're not sure what you would enjoy reading, just ask a librarian for suggestions.
The library also has free story times for children, as well as book clubs, special events, discussions and workshops for people of all ages.
The cookbook section provides a wealth of ideas for meal planning. I can find books for every taste, ranging from quick, child-friendly meals to sophisticated fare. The library also has books on preserving the harvest from my garden.
Do you want to landscape your yard, decorate a room, fix a faucet, make a present, learn a craft, invest for the future, study world history, learn another language or plan a vacation? The library has books that will help.
Reference librarians are treasures. They can help find the address of a wholesale supplier for a home business, suggest a book for a school project, dig up a statistic for a business report. Many libraries will supply reference information by telephone or e-mail, so that you don't even have to leave your home or office to get help.
Libraries have more than just traditional books. They lend audio books on tape or CD. You can listen to a book while you are stuck in a traffic, or cooking dinner or doing crafts. Some libraries also lend music and videos and offer computer and Internet access.
I can access a variety of electronic databases via the library's web site. I can find articles from subscription-only newspaper, research information from medical and academic journals, check several encyclopedias, download legal forms, do stock research and even get auto-repair information.
I'm not limited to the books in my local library. Through the marvels of Inter-Library Loan, I can borrow books, articles and microfilm from libraries and universities across the United States.
Ben Franklin helped to start the first lending library in the U.S. Thanks, Ben.