My mom taught me to read before I ever stepped foot in a school, probably because I was a hyperactive little git who never stopped bouncing off the walls, and she was looking for some way to occupy me.
Also, reading is just about my mom’s favorite thing to do. She wanted to instill that love of books in me, and she’d always tell me, “The library is your best friend.”
Since I was an only child, an introvert, and my family moved around a lot, this was pretty darned close to true. Every time I made one of those normal two-legged best friends, we’d end up moving to another state. But the library was always there.
And today, as a professional blogger, I can say that the library is still a very good friend of mine.
You might not think of something as fuddy duddy as a library as being a great resource for bloggers, who can have hundreds of streams of up-to-the-second news and blog posts delivered to their desktop, but I beg to differ. Here are some of the reasons I feel we should all spend some time in the library every month:
1. Libraries are a great place to brainstorm new niches
The magazine section, in particular, is a good place to browse. If there’s a magazine on a niche, then there’s an audience for information on that topic. And if that magazine is full of ads (I haven’t seen too many that aren’t!), then there are merchants paying for those sponsorships. Chances are the same or similar merchants will be bidding to have their Adsense ads displayed on your site.
2. You find more than the things you search for
The search engines are great at finding information for you, as long as you know what to type in.
What I like about the library is the way you can wander and just see what catches your eye. I don’t know about you, but I always come home with books I distinctly wasn’t looking for.
If we limit ourselves to the blogs in our feed reader for information, how much good stuff do we miss?
Even if you’re in a techy niche where you need to write about the latest, up-to-date doings and happenings, you might just be surprised at some of the ideas a dusty old book could spawn in your head.
3. Books and magazines don’t give you carpal tunnel syndrome
You might snicker, but this is actually a subject near and dear to my… hands. I got into this whole make-a-living-while-writing-content-for-the-web business because I was having so much pain from repetitive stress injuries that I couldn’t type. I had no idea how I was going to work a real job, and out of sheer desperation, I got started writing for my first website using voice recognition software.
In this increasingly digital world, I think it’s healthy to get away from the computer whenever you can. And this brings us to…
4. Books and magazines can be taken anywhere
Oh, I know, you can check your feeds from your iPhone, but what happens when the battery runs out, smarty pants? Or you’re at the park and the glare from the sun is reflecting off that little screen? And do you really want to take electronic devices in the bathtub or hot tub? (note: make sure not to drop your library items in the water as the librarian will frown at you if you return a book completely waterlogged).
Going to the park or the beach (or whatever bastion of natural beauty is located near your house) can do wonders for inspiring you. Also it’s more fun getting Vitamin-D from the sun than pills.
5. Libraries are free
You can find books and magazines at book stores too but you’ve got to pay for them if you want to take them home. During my utterly broke and in debt days, I really appreciated the fact that I could grab a stack of books related to my niche and bring them home to do research.
I’m guilty today of spending way too much on audiobooks for my iPod (why is it that something that is entirely free to reproduce should cost more than a paperback copy of the same book anyway?), but I still appreciate the frugality of the library.
There you have it… 5 reasons why the library should still have a place in your world!
12 responses so far ↓
1 Philip // Jan 7, 2009 at 11:02 am
I am in frugal mode these days, so have rediscovered my childhood love of the library.
The other plus compared to a bookshop is you can just borrow a ton of books that you might be interested in. It doesn’t matter if on closer view half of them suck and you never get into them.
Also, since I’ve been reading your blog, I had a little lightbulb moment. “OMG, all these books I already own!” Lots of potential ideas waiting handily on my own bookshelves. And by definition all on topics I know well and am interested in.
Being in frugal mode I am refraining from audiobooks, but I love iTunes U. And podcasts from the BBC.
2 Yolanda Facio // Jan 7, 2009 at 11:44 am
I LOVE the library!!! I was just there yesterday to get some books on…. you guessed it…. my first article site. I had five books on my list, all new, all on the shelf. However, I ended up carrying out 20 books on various topics that caught my eye. Going to the library helps me to alleviate my “I’ve spent too much money at Borders again” guilt. I LOVE the libary!
3 Dawn // Jan 7, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Nice post! We could all stand to use our library resources more. You gave some great reasons why bloggers especially should be using them.
4 Olivier // Jan 7, 2009 at 2:02 pm
You’re absolutely right, and I must add that Internet is NOT a replacement for books, it is a complement
. There is a lot of young people that read virtually no book because they always are on Internet (well, perhaps 10 years ago they were ahead of the TV, but still).
And my mother gave me the love of books too
5 pohheng // Jan 8, 2009 at 1:56 am
I think the last point on libraries are free is the best because there are vast amount of books and information and don’t cost u anything. can u find a better deal.
6 Jared Lyda // Jan 8, 2009 at 11:23 am
Lindsay, this is a great article. The value of reading and of books is huge. As a board member for my local library, I see the benefits to our community regularly.
Recently I posted a short list on my blog about the benefits of reading. You can find it here: http://www.fireandmotionblog.com/2009/01/04/read-voraciously-even-if-you-dont-like-reading/
Jared Lyda
http://www.fireandmotionblog.com
7 Lauri // Jan 8, 2009 at 2:28 pm
We recently moved to a small town where the nearest major bookstore is 30 miles away. Yikes! It’s been nice rediscovering the joys of library browsing. Great post.
8 Julie @ Write for eHow // Jan 8, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I LOVE the library! Although the way I rack up fines, I’m not sure it’s all that frugal. At least the money is going to a good cause.
9 Anne Wayman // Jan 9, 2009 at 9:17 am
Great list – libraries can also be wonderful places to meet people… all sorts, even potential writing clients.
I don’t think you can write well if you doesn’t read all sorts of things.
I miss the old card catalogs… but I love the new tech at libraries.
Thanks!
Anne Wayman, now blogging at http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com
10 Lindsay // Jan 9, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I’m very glad my county’s library doesn’t charge overdue fines. I’m not so sure it’d be such a “free” resource for me if it did.
11 Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas // Feb 8, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Library’s rock! Ours has an excellent selection of books, DVDs, CDs, and cultural programs. It’s great fodder for the imagination and for inspiring creativity. It’s amazing what you can find.
12 Shannan // Feb 13, 2009 at 6:14 am
I take my daughter to the library quite often and hang out in the kiddie section. I think I will look for a time when I can go by myself (or with another adult
) to find some books for my reading pleasure.
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