Even before I could read, I loved libraries. All the pretty pictures and nice, smiling librarians reading stories aloud! I still love the endless shelves brimming with possibilities, but I rediscovered my love of libraries when a friend and I decided to spend an afternoon working from the new main branch of the Cambridge Public Library last week. If you're local and you haven't been yet, do not pass go, do not read this blog post, go directly to CPL! For the rest of you, here are three reasons to rekindle (with or without electronic reader) your own relationship with a local library branch. An NPR writer recently predicted that libraries will be the next pop culture phenom, but these are my own reasons and they specifically apply to writers.
- Change of scenery.
There comes a time in every freelancer's career when loafing around the house in your PJs or yoga pants gets old. And when that time comes, you could always camp out at your local coffee shop and buy over-priced lattes and pastries (I admit it: I do this sometimes, too). Or you could migrate to a library, where nobody gives you dirty looks for only buying a small coffee and there's no threat of spilling said coffee on your laptop. Most libraries have a variety of little nooks, crannies, and private rooms available depending on your preferred environment. Many also have free Wifi. (Score!) - Endless inspiration.
There's something thoroughly inspiring about being surrounded by books and magazines. Each one holds loads of ideas ripe for your reinvention or re-interpretation (I even got an article idea by glancing through the library's event calendar!). But the inspiration isn't just for you, it's also for your readers. Think of all the young people who fell in love with reading thanks to a savvy librarian or a fortuitously placed book cover. Libraries help ensure that authors and other kinds of writers will always have eager readers. And often, they'll host book readings and set up special sections to help promote local authors. - Research.
Thanks to the library, you can often read several years worth of back issues for a given magazine, request books from other locations, or enlist a librarian's help in uncovering the perfect piece of background material. Even if you're an internet-only kind of researcher, you'll still find something to love about a library. Many give card-holders access to huge databases like LexisNexis and an increasing number let you download eBooks and podcasts through their website.