1. You can’t write in or leave post-it-type markers for later reference. I hate writing in my books, but I do leave many markers in almost every book I read and do refer back to them.

2. Even well-equiped libraries often don’t have many of the books I want to read. Granted, I could probably get away from buying classics and current releases, but see point 1.

3. Library books are often quite dirty.

recently, i’ve more actively been using it, rather than buying books used from amazon. unfortunately, i have been losing money due to my library fines :/ the irony?

I then go to the library once a week and pick up my books, all at my closest library. They are sent from all over the city.

I even have books on hold right now that aren’t even out yet! But I will get it when it is.

I have a collection of the books I find myself reading over and over, and some refernce type books, but if I had to fully fund my reading addiction I’d have nothing left at all!

One I use a lot is BookMooch (www.bookmooch.com) where one exchanges books online, normally by the post, but there is nothing stopping you to meet people personally to either give one of your books or collect one. As I see it each book is costing just the price of postage I need to send it to somebody else once I read it..

Book Crossing is another one many people like, I personally don’t because it is more like a treasure hunt, but it may be good for others.

When I hear about a book that sounds interesting, I go to the library’s online website and request a hold on it. I rarely have to wait more than a week, and I save a ton of money. Like others here, if I decide I really love the book, then I can go buy it.

I can sign up to get email notifications when my requested books are available for pick up, and even better, when the books are due — or I’d be paying a lot more “book rent” (overdue fines) than I’d like. Of 50 or so items I’ve checked out this year, I’ve lost one (boo) and had 2 late, which works out to $40 or so — still far cheaper than buying 50 books, DVDs, and CDs!

And we’re not just about books — even my smallish, rural library has tons of DVDs (current, popular feature films) and audio books. We spend upwards of $25K a year buying new material, and I love getting feedback from library users when it comes to purchasing. We also offer free high speed wi fi, and public PCs if you don’t have a laptop.

So yes, the library is a great resource when you’re trying to save $$$, but I like to think we’re a great resource all the time. The next time you use the library remember that you’re using a service you’ve already paid for. And the more you use it, the more value you get for your money!

That said, you DO have to be careful about returning your books on time or renewing them. I’ve paid enough fines in my life to earn my own wing.

Heh, me too. And fines here (Australia) vary from library to library but can be quite pricey. I owe at least the cost of a new hardback book at the moment. Oh well, I’ve checked with the staff and they say the fine money goes to funding more books so I’m happy with that.

I adore the library. I went all the time as a child – I can remember when I had to hold my pile of books nearly up to my head to reach the counter, now it would probably be at waist height – and unlike any of my friends I continued going as an adult. My only problem is that the ones here really don’t stock a lot of the books I want, and also that they often cull books, selling them off via book sales. I understand that they want the space, but there are lot of old childrens books that I love and once they’ve been taken out of the library system the only place I can really find them is ebay or secondhand book sales. If I was the only one borrowing them, I wish they’d let me know when they were going to take them out of circulation

Whenever I travel I try to pop into local libraries; partly to see what they are like and partly because when I’m tired from travel (or anything really), I find sitting and reading in a public library so familiar and comforting. I haven’t been to any in the USA but the Canadian libraries I’ve visited were absolutely awesome, much better collections than any I’ve been to here.

There are certain books I still buy though, like cookbooks,finance and travel books – anything that I will be using repeatedly. I don’t like traveling with books that don’t belong to me (just in case I drop it in the pool…) so I do purchase some paperbacks for myself. Also, new books that I’m dying to read, I’ll definitely buy those instead of waiting as the 25th person on the library waiting list.

I also wanted to mention that a little while ago Oprah did another show on frugal living, and someone recommended borrowing DVDs from the library and Oprah and others admitted that they had no clue that libraries had DVDs!

That’s why I’m always surprised when someone and I are discussing a book or movie or album and I tell them it’s at the library and they get SHOCKED. Have they never been in there? They have everything in the entire world! They have a lot of books and movies that are long out-of-print, too.

Libraries are getting TONS of graphic novels these days, too. I first found out about them when browsing the library at age 13 and fell in love instantly. They only had eight or so, though, and would get one or two important new titles every year. Now they’re pouring in! I just looked at my library’s new arrivals on their site and they got 83 graphic novels in this month! Mostly manga, which I’m not too crazy about, but the new Alex Robinson book and some Alan Moore collections…so great!

That said, you DO have to be careful about returning your books on time or renewing them. I’ve paid enough fines in my life to earn my own wing.

There are still books it is good to own, but I almost always borrow a proposed book first, to try it on for size. It’s surprising how many books I once thought I “had” to own, but now can just visit. :0)

Also, I don’t feel I have to keep a lot of books because if I want to re-read one I can just get it from the library. Hence I am very active on Bookmooch, where my old books found a new life and gave me credits to use in books for my 2-year old son.

Paperbackswap.com is great way to get books. Donating to the library is a great way to give books. AND the best way to set your books free is:

Bookcrossing.com

problem is, library is NOT a priority here in the Philippines. Community libraries like yours are practically nonexistent over here.

But i have to admit i love having one or two books in my collection. Alternativly i go to a church book sale and buy a box of books for the same price as one.

You can imagine the shock on my face when I saw that a library carried an album called Dopesmoker, widely considered one of the heaviest of all-time. It was awesome.