Why I love libraries… and you should, too!

This is such a valuable post from librarian and fellow retiree Linda Greengrass, I’m including it all even though it’s a bit longer than the usual posts.

As a young girl growing up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, the New York Public Library branch at 179^th was very important to me. The delights that I found as a child – books and encyclopedias and magazines to help me get through school – are even easier to get these days.

(www.pinterest.com) No matter where you live, if you have a library card you can have books, CDs, DVDs, and a wealth of information at the click of a mouse free. Simply activate online access using your library card and a password. (You might need to get started at your local branch, depending on your library system.) Your local library branch is part of a larger network. In New York City, there are three major library systems: the New York Public Library (NYPL) which serves Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island (www.nypl.org), the Brooklyn Public Library (http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.org/), and Queens Public Library (http://www.queenslibrary.org/ ).

Do you have a particular book, recording or movie in mind? Simply enter the title in your library’s online catalog, find the record (or listing) for what you want and place a request or “hold” on it. As part of the process, you get to decide at which branch you want to pick up the book. You will get an email alert when the item is ready to be picked up. If you are homebound, most library systems will mail your library books to you if you qualify. At the NYPL the program is called “Books by Mail.” If you don’t have a specific item in mind, you can search by author, genre, (mystery, biography, humor, poetry as a “keyword” and you can browse through the results or narrow them down to the format (book, eBook, CD, etc.) or whatever you prefer.

(www.theworldsamess.blogspot.com) Perhaps what you want is available digitally. You can read eBooks or listen to audiobooks and music, or even watch some videos on your computer or on an e-reader such as Nook, Kindle, an iPad or your smartphone. All you need to do is download the free software provided by your library system.  For the New York Public Library look here -- http://ebooks.nypl.org/ for a list of compatible devices and the free software downloads. For other libraries, just follow the eBooks links on the library home page.  Some items, especially those in PDF format, may require that you first download to your computer  Adobe Digital Editions (free)  and then transfer to your device using a USB connector.

It’s a simple drag-and-drop process, so don’t panic. Simply connect your device to the computer using the USB connector, wait until the computer “sees” it, then open Adobe Digital Editions. You should now see your device name on the list on the left. Put your cursor on the title of the book and drag it to your device name. A green plus sign should appear. Now you can let go. Click on your device name. If the transfer worked you should see the book title. If not, click on “all items” which brings you back to your computer, and try again.

(www.blog.betterworldbooks.com) What if the book you want to read is not owned by your local library system? Never fear, interlibrary loan is near. Because no library can afford to own all the materials that their patrons may want, they agree to loan items to one another. For the most part, interlibrary loans are limited to books and magazine articles, but  it costs nothing to try. The first thing to do is check WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/ ) which will give you all the information you will need to fill out an interlibrary loan request. And yes, you can do it all online, although you might have to drop by the branch to pick your ILL up.

Remember that almost all of the services offered by your public library are provided at little or no cost to you, so think about how you might support your public library. Be a “friend.” Attend special events, programs and lectures. Volunteer if there are opportunities. Donate your gently used books to their book sale and shop. Donate whatever you can afford.  Advocate by writing letters, especially when budget cuts threaten hours or services. Here are some ways the NYPL suggests you might help-- http://www.nypl.org/support .  Check your local public library’s web site to see what they need.

(www.demco.com)

#retiredinewyork
#nyplbenefits
#librariesforseniors