Thing 5

I have always been a fan of the public library system, even though I worked at one for only 10 days (one can only sort and shelve books for so much time before it becomes the bane to your existence.)

I am a proud card carrying member of the Carver County Library system, and enjoy looking for books on their website. You can see a book advertised on a TV show (such as Studs Terkel who was featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Show last week), hop on your computer in your jammies as you're watching TV, and request the book to be held for you at your local library. The lazy person in me likes that I can have the book delivered to the library in Watertown, and I don't need to drive all the way to Waconia, Chaska, or Norwood/Young America to pick it up.

Another nifty thing about libraries today is the self check-out system. While the system at the grocery store or Home Depot has a tendency to get stuck and stop working, the library one is very easy to use, and great when there's a line or no librarian to be found. Plus, on those days where one may be feeling a bit anti-social, you can visit the library and get your book without actually speaking to anyone.

What I would change about libraries is to make the online books a bit more interesting. It's great to have access to professional journals, but it would be nice to find a Harry Potter book on there when the wait time is several weeks or months otherwise. I also wish it were easier to use some of the online databases. I realize there is a specific method to accessing the information you need, but I don't want to search through everything. And I guess part of me is too afraid to ask the librarians for help. (They can be kind of scary!)