My library is the greatest...

[KIR]

I have gone to libraries on my own since I was in elementary school. I still visit and am a member of my library in Sparks, NV since I moved here. Not just for the VHS tapes/movies, DVD's, but also for the freebie exchange of books and magazines. My library has shelves where one can pick up books/magazines, take them home, return and/or exchange. I have struck it rich, well, well off gold at my library. I have been a collector of 1st editions of magazines and books for a while now. At my library, I once found, not one, but two copies of the first/premiere edition of GEO magazine. I have found autographed copies of books at my library as well. Today was no exception in that not only did I find an autographed copy of a book, but also a first edition of a paperback book of one of my faves. I am pretty sure, I still have the 1st edition of this book which I happened to mention in another thread recently, packed away in a storage box, along with 2-3 comics of the same story of the 1st edition (they had different covers-gold, silver, etc.). The book is Don Pendleton's, The Executioner. Simple stories of a soldier whose family was killed by the mafia when he was overseas in a war. He came home and thereafter going from city to city fighting the mafia gang in that city. Later he joined a government agency to fight bad guys. By the way, the book I went to pick up was The Good Shepherd, a novel by C.S. Forester, which was made into a movie with Tom Hanks called Greyhound. Forester may well be better known for his novels about Horatio Hornblower and The African Queen. One other book I got from the freebie shelf was How to Beat Bobby Fischer, since I dabble in chess, I would find it interesting. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, so I hope you all have a library to visit and gain some additional knowledge...Good Shootin' to ya'll and STAY SAFE!

 

[JackpineWillie]

My local Library, Fredrick WI, keeps my mother well supplied with audio books. She's soon to be 94 years old, blind and house bound. She goes through about a dozen books per week. Can't say enough about the staff. They do have a sale shelf where they dispose of their unwanted books, some old, some obsolete, and a lot that are donated. Small library, shelf space is premium.

 

[KIR]

Yet another autographed book found...and I am not even Irish. Neighbor had a couple of boxes with a FREE sign in front so I stopped and look and one of the boxes contained several books. I grabbed a half dozen which looked interesting to me and when I got home, I found that one was autographed by David M. Bresnahan who wrote and accumulated photos for the book: 9-11 Terror in America. Another lucky find. Then another book, The Wit & Wisdom of Winston Churchill was signed by the compiler, James C. Humes. I realize not a lot of value, but interesting to have. I verfied signatures online and they all appear to match!

 

[Jeepnik]

Yes libraries are great. But they aren't safe places for adults much less kids these days. My wife retired from our local library after 41 years. She watched it go from a place of quiet learning to a happy hunting ground for child molesters and homeless thieves.

The sad part is even after being warned of this deterioration parents still used the library as free after school day care. Then got upset when bad things happened.

But, it's not just the failure to provide adequate security that's at fault. In one case a man kept approaching boys. Until one complained nothing could be done. Once the complaint was made it was found that he was a teacher at a private school. A foster parent and a registered sex offender who was convicted of molesting young boys.

If you want your kids to use the library take them and stay close. If you want to use it safe guard your person and possessions. And don't ever, ever use the restrooms. There isn't enough disinfectant in the world to clean those.

 

[KIR]

I don't spend a lot of time in the library as I can put a HOLD on any book or DVD I want online. Then when it arrives at my branch if it was at a different branch, I go in, pick it up, sign it out and then out the door. Too bad you have such problems at your libraries.

 

[coach]

My wife just got home after taking two grandkids to the library. They had the time of their lives picking out a few books. And now my daughter is reading to them. It's nice to have everyone home for the holiday.

 

[KIR]

SCORE! Stopped by my library to pick up a DVD and at the freebie/exchange book cases I found seven books by Bernard Cornwell. He had previously written the Richard Sharpe series, played by Sean Bean in the PBS tv series of movies. I got so interested in that series I read all the 20+ books on Sharpe. Looking forward to reading more about the fictional/historical side of early Great Britain.

 

[woodsy]

I don't know much about Nevada libraries, but here in CT we have something called Bibliomation, in which one can look up a book (or author or subject) online and find whatever is available at other libraries, in case the home library doesn't have it in stock. Then one (me) can order it from our library and it ends up there a few days later, all for free.