Where in the world have I been? -or- What you can do for your library.

I wonder that too, sometimes. I was off at an interview for a very cool job (pick me! pick me!) and at a science fiction convention. Now I have returned, and it's time to talk about what you can do for your library!

Sure, I talk about what librarians can do to advocate for ourselves and our profession, but there're things you can do as well!

This post is inspired by a comment from a friend that he supports libraries but hasn't stepped into one in years.

There're tons of excuses: libraries don't have what I like to read, I can afford to buy it on Amazon and not have to worry about late fees, I haven't been inside one in so long I don't know where to start...

LOOK, ROMAN TOILETS!

All easily solvable, my friends! For instance... don't know where to start? Ask a librarian. Be frank. Admit you haven't been in a library since your senior year of high school, AND your librarian was mean. Most of us are very nice, and extremely understanding of fallen-away library users. Tell the librarian what your interests are, so that he or she can direct you to the sections you'll find most useful. Wanna check out DVDs, games, and graphic novels? We can help. Most libraries have DVDs and graphic novels, and many have games available for checkout or low-cost rental. Want books about waste removal systems in antiquity? We can tell you what Dewey range will set your heart aflutter. We can show you how to use our online catalog and give tips for finding exactly what you want.

The second biggest excuse is that libraries don't have what fallen-away library users like to read. First... do you really know that for sure? Or are you basing this on the one library you walked into in 1991 that had a scifi section entirely littered with young adult fiction and TV tie-in novels? Did that comment hit too close to home? Yeah, I thought it did :)

Really check out your library. Wander the shelves. You may happen upon old favorites and new finds you didn't know existed, or forgot about ages ago. Don't see what you're looking for on the shelf? Try the catalog. It may be checked out, or on order. Really, REALLY don't see what you're looking for? I have two solutions:

1) Suggest the library purchase it. Libraries have tight budgets and may not be able to order everything patrons request, but are often very open to suggestions. Often when we do ordering, we do it based on what has checked out well in the past, and what we THINK will be a hit. Hearing directly from the patron's mouth that he or she would love to check out more George R. R. Martin books tells us EXACTLY what will check out.

2) If the library is unable to purchase the book, ask if the library participates in Inter-Library Loan. Yes, libraries borrow books from other libraries. WE LIVE IN THE FUTURE, MAN. Don't see Game of Thrones? If a library that participates in our ILL consortium does have it, we can usually borrow it at no cost to you. Some consortiums are county or state wide. Some exchange with other academic institutions, or can even borrow nation-wide. What're the odds that NO library will have the book you're looking for? Probably pretty slim.

Why bother with all of this stuff, anyways, you're asking me. You can afford these things on Amazon. The first  reason is that you don't always HAVE to buy everything off of Amazon. Nor do you always have to wait. A lot of these books are sitting on the shelf in your library. We also have other stuff you may not be able to find on Amazon: periodical subscriptions, old records and newspapers, database and journal access, story time, author visits, community events, opportunities for enrichment and learning that can't be found in the pages of a book, and above all...friendship. You'll meet so many people at your library, both patrons and staff. Way more than you'll meet by clicking "checkout" on your Amazon cart.

But there's another important reason:

BY CHECKING BOOKS OUT OF A LIBRARY, YOU ARE HELPING TO SAVE THAT LIBRARY. Even if you don't need the library, your act of checking out materials is SAVING LIBRARIES for people who DO need that library, sometimes desperately.

Why?

Libraries live and die by statistics. One of the most important being usage statistics. Every book, video or Playaway audio book you check out counts as a checkout for your library. Every time you walk in the door, a record is being kept of another patron walking in the building. Every time you sign up for a card, or renew your card, you're being counted as another person in your area that USES the library. Every question you ask at a reference desk is being counted by someone. Every time you make use of the photocopier, every time you bring a child to story time. Every time you do all of these simple things, which your tax or tuition money is already paying for, you are helping that library obtain more funding for people, facilities and materials. HOLY CRAP. YOU CAN COME TO THE LIBRARY, USE OUR STUFF FOR FREE, AND ACTUALLY BE HELPING US BY DOING IT. Like I said, we live in the future, man.

So, be a friend to your library! Come in, use our bathroom, leech our wifi and check out DVDs that exist soley for the purpose of rotting your brain cells. Check out a comic book. Photocopy something. Ask us about ancient toilet design. In fact, ask us pointless questions. No, really. Ask us pointless questions--the more, the better. In fact, walk away for a few minutes, then come back and ask us another, so we can count it as two reference interviews. We like it like that, because THAT IS HOW WE ROLL.

And maybe, if you want some help with research regarding a disease you've been diagnosed with, or are looking for old newspaper articles from that time when you were in the high school musical, or just want to know about sewage treatment in antiquity because it's been bugging you for a while, ASK US. We would be thrilled and honored to help!

SAVE YOUR LIBRARY. USE THEIR STUFF.