Do You Use Your Public Library??

[Racoon]

Do you use your public library for books, video's, or internet access??

What services and options does your local library offer??

I went to the library today to check out some medieval history books for reading while on the toilet and a few documentaries on DVD..
Many books I'd like to see were unavailable.

Our public library services as many people as it can, by providing instruction and options in Russian, Vietnamese, and Spanish to name a few.
People can access internet freely with a library account.

Libraries are a brainstorm of Ben Franklin BTW It was basically his brain-child to allow public access to books and such. (at least during colonial American times)

Do you support your local Library?
How would you rate your Libraries?
Should more funding be provided for libraries?

[Mercedes Benzene]

I use my library a lot--mostly for studying and school work.
It's a great place to meet friends to work on school projects, they've got just about one of the largest collections of books I've ever seen at a public library, and sometimes I go there on the weekend to do homework since *home* can be rather distracting.

There's a bunch of computers, but there's also free wi-fi so I can bring my laptop and just use that.
This library that I speak of is brand-new and replaces a library that had inadequate parking and shared a building with county offices. It's one of 2 libraries close to my house. Here are some details from the website to answer your questions about the facilities:

LIBRARY DESIGN & FEATURES:
The new Germantown Library is a two-level structure conforming to existing contours in the Town Center. The front blends with the urban setting and the rear portion faces parkland. The surrounding area is enhanced with trellises, ramps and walks. The main entry area has natural light from the windows in the rotunda. The main library areas have high, sloped ceilings done in warm wood planking.

The library is on two floors – one opening to the plaza shared with the BlackRock Center for the Arts and the other opening to the parking lot.
The children’s room, circulation functions and staff workroom are on the ground floor.
A Children’s Quiet Study Room
A Children’s Group Study Room
A Discovery Center
A Children’s Program Room
Specialized furniture & fixtures for children
The adult area is on the first floor.
Two Quiet Study Rooms
Two Group Study Rooms
Two Tutor Rooms
A Computer Lab
The young adult area is on the mezzanine that overlooks the children's room.
Specialized seating
Specialized materials
Specialized decor
SIZE: 44,193 gross square feet. The former Germantown Library, in the UpCounty Regional Services Center, was approximately 16,000 gross square feet.

PARKING: 160 parking spaces behind the building, plus 22 shared, on-street parking spaces.

SITE: 19840 Century Boulevard, next to the BlackRock Center for the Arts. The site includes space behind the library for a park that includes a natural wetland. The urban park is being developed by the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, Inc.

BOOKS & MATERIALS: In addition to the collection of approximately 120,000 volumes that moved from the former library, an additional 60,000 items were purchased for the new library.

TECHNOLOGY: 37 PCs are available for public use. Wireless Tech (Wi-Fi) is available to anyone who brings their own properly configured equipment. The building has energy efficient glass, heating, and cooling.

ARCHITECTS & INTERIOR DESIGN: Lukmire Partnership, Inc. (LPI) – Greg Lukmire, Bill Evans & Shaun Curran; The Studio of Sandra Ragan

ENGINEERS: CIVIL: A. Morton Thomas & Associates, Inc. STRUCTURAL: Adtek Engineers, Inc.; MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL: Mendoza, Ribas, Farinas & Associates

CURRENT CONTRACTOR: St. Paul Travelers Insurance Company/Whiting-Turner Construction Company

ORIGINAL CONTRACTOR: Pantech Construction Company, Inc. through 12/05

FUNDING: Approximately $19M, includes design, site work, construction, furniture & equipment, and funds to enhance and enlarge the collection.

Gotta love it!

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by Racoon

I went to the library today to check out some medieval history books for reading while on the toilet...

Rac, you just gave us all yet another reason not to go to the library...

I strongly support libraries. I've donated a lot of time to volunteer in my daughter's school libraries, and I've donated books and money to the local public libraries in the places I've lived. Unfortunately, they're not what they used to be and I regret it. Even with the Internet, there's nothing like wandering the stacks and picking up a random book just to see what's in it.

But there's an important issue here: its not just about support, its about *using* the library and getting your kids to do so. When I was doing a lot of work at the local coffee shop, after I got too much caffiene in me, I'd go across the street to the library because it was so nice and quiet (and the power was free too) because there was *never anyone there.* What good is a library if no one uses it?

Don't just support your library, use it too!

Reading is FUNdamental,
Buffy

[DougF]

Unfortunately, they're not what they used to be and I regret it.
This is too true, I used to go all the time but as much now.
But there's an important issue here: its not just about support, its about *using* the library and getting your kids to do so. What good is a library if no one uses it?
you're right again and I'll have to work on that.

[KatherineLee]

As a college student I do go to libraries a lot more frequently than I used to, but only because they are a perfect place to study. I have found that the library does not provide me with anything besides just a quiet place to sit down these days.

Although not exactly a "public library" in the sense you are asking for input about, the libraries on my campus at the University of Minnesota do allow access to the public, although I am not sure about what policies they have if someone wanted to check out a book and did not have a "U-Card" (official identification card at the University of Minnesota).

From my experience with the sort-of-public libraries at the University of Minnesota, specificially with the Biomedical Library catered towards the medical and dentist students since it's situated in the center of the medical school, I have discovered that the books are dated for the type of information someone is probably seeking on the subject.

College campus libraries seem to have taken a more electronic approach to providing information now.

Perhaps it just seems that way because the only time I needed the library database to locate information has been on science topics for a microbiology or plant biology class.

If I search for something and it just leads me to a scientific journal that I can check out of the library, or a "find it online" link. Do you think I'm going to dig for the journal copy on some rack in the library, or just click the "find it online" link and save a copy to my laptop?

I literally have access to scientific journals from the 50's. I can even access them anywhere I have an internet connection. I have such a selection that even when, on rare occurances, I cannot access one specific article, I can find another article that cross-references it and provides the information I was looking for. This feature has basically eliminated any need for a resourceful student looking up information in a scientific topic to step foot in a library and consequently, I have found libraries to be unhelpful in a sense.
I've completely given up on checking out books for research... it always turns out to be a frustrating mess: the book I want a book that is already checked out by someone, or is loaned to another library that I completely gave up on using that information.
If I can't find it online, I don't use it all.

The only use I have for city public libraries now is for a finding a fun, fictional book. Which, I usually have to wait a few weeks for because the library needs to do some sort of interlibrary loan transfer. It's just a frustrating mess in the end that I usually just end up ordering the book off amazon just alleviate my pain.

In my opinion, we need to place a lot more money into our public libraries to keep them updated with the latest fiction and non-fiction books for everyone to enjoy. Although it's not really a BIG issue with me if I can't find a book to enjoy or have to wait weeks to get a specific book (and end up just buying it online), it is a useful resource for those that cannot afford the internet or actually use the library books as a main source of entertainment.

Although I suppose if we don't want to spend the money to keep our libraries updated so they are used for more than just internet and a quiet place to go we could just as well tile the floor, put in a coffee stand, a neon "free wi-fi" sign in the window, and call it another coffee shop.

[Tormod]

We have a very good public library in my neighborhood. I used it a couple of times last year, but I don't frequent it. My kids do, though, through kindergarten and school.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Mercedes Benzene

I use my library a lot--mostly for studying and school work.


Gotta love it!

What a great library. i will suggest it to my coundcil although $19 mill is proably too rich for them!
I love browsing in libraries often coming across things I would never normally find (Much the way I use the net).
When i was a student of psychology i read/discovered that 40 minutes was mazximum attention span and you need a break after that.
So I did
40 minutes study/work
then 1-3 hours browsing in library listening to music, books, magazines, audio visual etc.
then another 40 minutes essays study etc

I got a great education that way; although I was always late with my essays, I'm not sure way --I lived in the libary!

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Mercedes Benzene

I use my library a lot--mostly for studying and school work.


Gotta love it!

What a great library. i will suggest it to my council, although $19 mill is probably too rich for them!
I love browsing in libraries often coming across things I would never normally find (Much the way I use the net).

When i was a student of psychology i read/discovered that 40 minutes was maximum human attention span, and you need a break after that.
So I took this research to heart:-
40 minutes study/work
then 1-3 hours browsing in library listening to music, books, magazines, audio visual etc.
then another 40 minutes essays/ study etc

I got a great education that way; although I was always late with my essays, I'm not sure way --I lived in the library!

[Mercedes Benzene]

I'd have to edit my first post, now that I'm in college. I no longer use my public library at home. When I'm at school I make use of our main library (which has 26 floors!), but more often I use our Integrated Sciences Library... which has most of the science-related books on campus.

Both are open to the public though.... so I guess they'd be considered "public libraries."

[SidewalkCynic]

I use libraries almost daily for laptop power, Internet access, and distraction control etiquette, but for the purposes of browsing for publications - maybe, 10 hours a month.