Wouldn’t it be great to go somewhere and have access to endless hours of entertainment? All in one place, to have a great deal of information about your city, important archives, and sometimes even artifacts and exhibits?
What if this is a place that has the ability to answer just about any question you might have? Where you can find the answers yourself, or talk to any of the amazing staff that work there and get information faster?
This magical place exists, my friends—it’s your local library. With just a photo ID and proof of address, you can give yourself access to all the information you could ever need, and other resources you’d never guess you’d get for free. could.
That’s right: for free. Your local library is full of things to do and see at zero cost, so yes, you have to leave the house to access some of them, but all you need to worry about is what it costs to get there. Is!
Still need some reassurance, or just need more details? Here are some of the best free things you can get at your local library right now:
Books
It’s a bit of a given – it’s a library. But in addition to the large number of print books, which may come in normal or large font, and may even be requested from other libraries if your local library doesn’t have a book, libraries today still have an impressive number. I boast of e-books and audiobooks, all free with a library card.
All you need is an e-reader, and/or an audiobook app that supports your library’s file types (like Overdrive), and you can binge books the way you binge TV shows.
Just keep in mind that e-books and audiobooks from the library come with due dates, just like printed books do—you’ll usually be able to keep your copy for about two weeks, then you’ll need to renew your reading material. , or it will be available again to other library card holders.
So yes, ebooks and audiobooks may not always be available. But you can place a hold request just like in print books, and get a link to download it as soon as your copy is available, so it’s still an incredibly useful and available service.
DVD and CD
Long before streaming, libraries tried to compete with video and music stores with one major exception—tapes, DVDs, and CDs would be free to check out with a library card.
Of course, the selection can be somewhat limited and new releases won’t be available as quickly, and sometimes DVDs or CDs get scratched and difficult to play. But the movies will be free, and are still free at your local library.
Still can’t find that superhero movie you want on Netflix, or want to watch a romantic comedy that just disappeared from Hulu? Try your local library’s catalog, and go ahead and grab it before your next movie date!
Wi-Fi and workspaces
Cafes and coffee shops get all the love when it comes to hanging out with writers and working on their novels and screenplays. Your local library also has free Wi-Fi and desks that will allow you all the same benefits of ordering water just two hours in advance and without the barista having to take up table space.
The library, instead, is surprisingly quiet, filled with tables and desks (which also have outlets available for you), completely surrounded by reference material to you, and in the summer, even offers free A/C. Is.
Libraries often have places you can reserve to work away from other people, or where you can meet with a group and collaborate on a project. Just make sure you reserve rooms in advance if you want to (they go away quickly, especially when students have finals and midterms to worry about during the school year).
Need a computer too? Virtually all libraries have desktops available, and some even have laptops that you can rent on-site. These devices come with a time limit for their use, but they still come in handy for many situations, and they often have printers available for use as well. That’s why libraries make excellent work spaces.
free images
Need great stock images that are more historical or natural, or just need to see famous works of art, or some local maps? Libraries can help everyone with this.
The New York Public Library has 200,000 free images that you can use for any purpose, and you can download them from your home right now. It also houses a collection of 180,000 works of art, literature and performance, many of which are in the public domain, as well as 672,000 items in general in its digital collection.
Check out any item in your home now, and use the public domain one for just about any purpose you can think of.
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