Free stuff

3 years ago by Flying Squid to c/whitepeopletwitter

My wife is a library administrator here in Indiana. Libraries are amazing. Aside from all of the free books, movies, music, audiobooks both physical media and streaming and ebooks, this is what our public library offers. This is a small city and this is not unusual for public libraries:

Free internet with a computer lab. You don't even need a library card.

Board games and TTRPGs available for loan.

Free 3D printing.

Free laser cutting and engraving.

Games for multiple consoles.

An HTC Vive headset, a PS4 and an XBox for the teen room (although adults can use them too).

A playroom for babies and toddlers with all kinds of toys and things to climb on.

Kits you can take home to learn things like how to play the ukulele or how to crochet.

And, of course, like most libraries, meeting rooms for anyone to use.

A new branch is being built in another part of town and it will have a room with a lockable door and a sign-up sheet. One person will be allowed in at a time. Inside will be a washer, a dryer and a shower, all free to use.

On top of all this, the library is also willing to make deliveries to your home for free once a month if you can't make it in or just don't want to.

Librarians are also living Wikipedia/web Searches. They will happily look up any information for you that you could possibly ask. They will do all the research they can to help you. That's part of their job and part of what they went to school for- did you know librarians are generally expected to have masters degrees in library science?

Public libraries are fucking incredible. They are not just for poor people or homeless people or whatever silly thing people might think about them. Go in and check out the one in your area. You don't need a card to get in. You may not need a card to use a single service while you're there. You might only need a card to take things out or use online services.

newtraditionalists 32 points 3 years ago

Libraries are legitimately one of the best things about modern society. I worked at one during college and it was amazing. Go support your local library everyone! Librarians are master researchers, they are like untapped oracles.

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athos77 23 points 3 years ago

Our library has a tool library, will lend out sewing machines, and has a seed library. Oh! and a museum pass program!

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Frozengyro 10 points 3 years ago

Tool libraries are amazing. So many tools are overpriced to use just once/a couple times, or once in a blue moon.

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mugthol 5 points 3 years ago

What exactly is a seed library?

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FlyingSquid 11 points 3 years ago

Free packages of seeds for you to plant in your garden. You are supposed to return seeds from what you grow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_library

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FlyingSquid 5 points 3 years ago

I forgot about the seed library our library has as well! And there isn't a tool library to lend, but they do have three sewing machines you can use while you're there.

I'm going to talk to my wife and see what she thinks about a tool library.

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TheBat 17 points 3 years ago

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StopSpazzing 8 points 3 years ago

That heavily relies on me actually paying my taxes 😉

/s

pay your taxes

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sugar_in_your_tea 1 point 3 years ago

And not just because it helps your community, but your tax authority will make your life absolutely suck once they find out you're not paying.

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StopSpazzing 1 point 3 years ago

Unless you make millions, then you get away with it cause they dont have the budget for the lawsuit to be dragged out due to massive budget cuts from a certain party.

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OKRainbowKid 7 points 3 years ago

"Ackchyually... 🤓"

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FlyingSquid 2 points 3 years ago

What else apart from what I listed above would you like libraries to offer?

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Wizard_Pope 15 points 3 years ago

What. Our local library just got moved to a new building and the librarians are already complaining about having less space. And they don't have any of the cool stuff like laser cutting and 3d printing.

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FlyingSquid 11 points 3 years ago

Sounds like you need to try to get on your town's library board and change things.

Or at least try to work with them on it.

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Wizard_Pope 5 points 3 years ago

I doubt that would do anything. I mean the building does have rooms meant for club meetings and does organise some events but that is it. It's just a place for organising these types of things. The library just offers the classics. Books cds newspapers free internet. I also doubt anything much would be possible since it's a smaller town.

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FlyingSquid 5 points 3 years ago

It can definitely be tough in a smaller town because of smaller budgets. That said, if there is something media-wise they don't have, they can probably get it for you from another library.

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Wizard_Pope 3 points 3 years ago

Yeah they probably would. The library is one of about 20 different libraries under the same library in the next town. So if they don't have it one of the others might. If I really needed it anyway I can just go into one of the larger libraries in the capital during the week when I am atending uni classes.

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mihnt 13 points 3 years ago

Someone drove a truck into my local library and the city forced them into this tiny unit in a strip mall where they don't have room for all the cool shit now. I'm not sure if they are even going to let the library even go back to it's original building either because of some bible thumpers and the building's history.

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asteriskeverything 14 points 3 years ago

Time to start going to city hall meetings and encouraging your neighbors to do the same.

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Mac 1 point 3 years ago

I have a job lol

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asteriskeverything 1 point 3 years ago

So does the rest of the country, many of them literally have no free time or energy to fight for themselves because they are too busy trying to survive.

Sack up and admit to yourself you just don't really give enough of a shit. It's fine, we all are guilty no judgement. But own it don't give this bs excuse to try to justify your inaction.

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Mac 1 point 3 years ago

Insightful comment lmao

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andrew_bidlaw 10 points 3 years ago

My local library in russia isn't that funded, but I had weeks worth of reading books and old magazines there. They try to actualize themselves by organizing poetry and arts clubs, places to write our national Total Dictation challenge, inviting highschoolers, but there aren't as many regular visitors as they deserve. Libraries are based and I thank you for speaking about them.

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EngineerGaming 1 point a year ago

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mountain_goat 9 points 3 years ago

I guess my public library just sucks shit then. Although when you live in a college town tourist trap hybrid hellhole that is richfeild UT i guess that makes sense

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FlyingSquid 12 points 3 years ago

I just went to the Richfield, Utah's library website contact page. It has an email for suggestions and also the email addresses of the trustees. I highly recommend contacting them and letting them know you want more from your library. Your town also appears to have a library board. I haven't done enough research to see when and where they meet, but if there is a board, there are board meetings that you might be able to attend.

Public libraries are called that for a reason. You are a member of the public. Tell them what you think and what you would like changed.

https://www.richfieldlibrary.com/Contact.html

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mountain_goat 2 points 3 years ago

Thats very kind of you. Thank you.

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Kolanaki 6 points 3 years ago

The library was how I had access to Nintendo Power as a kid because my parents would not get me a subscription.

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Baku 6 points 3 years ago

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FlyingSquid 5 points 3 years ago

Exactly the same with the library here. Tons of local records archived. People come in to do genealogy research all the time.

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guyrocket 5 points 3 years ago

I just came from my local library. Got language CDs and travel books for a vacation. DVDs about national parks and a kit for monitoring a device's electricity use. And an electronic draft finder.

And there's much more like music, movies and ebooks.

Even if you do pay some fines you come out way ahead financially at the library.

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FlyingSquid 10 points 3 years ago

A lot of libraries (like the one here) don't even charge late fees. They will bill you for the media if you don't return it after several months and a lot of warnings, but no late fees.

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guyrocket 3 points 3 years ago

Similar policy in my library system. I assume most are not so.

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sugar_in_your_tea 2 points 3 years ago

We just switched to no late fees as well, and it's nice, but I've noticed I'm holding items past the due date more. But I'm still getting the books I want, so it seems to be working well enough.

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force 3 points 3 years ago

libraries with library cards don't exist around here

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afox 2 points 3 years ago

When I was a kid my mom took us to the library all the time. I always got programming books for BASIC. Like 30 years later I'm a SR Software Engineer. It works. Educate your kids. At least don't inhibit them.

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Flumpkin -2 points 3 years ago

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 3 years ago

What's an Indian giver?

Edit: Oh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giver

It is based on cultural misunderstandings that took place between the early European colonists and the Indigenous people with whom they traded. Often, the Europeans viewed an exchange of items as gifts and believed that they owed nothing in return to the Indigenous people. On the other hand, the Indigenous people saw the exchange as a form of trade or equal exchange and so they had differing expectations of their guests.

It is considered disrespectful, and its use is offensive to many Indigenous people.

Hmm.

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bionicjoey -3 points 3 years ago

Anything I can rent at the library for free, I can pirate for free as well

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FlyingSquid 14 points 3 years ago

Really? How exactly do you plan on pirating a ukulele or a crochet needle?

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Showroom7561 4 points 3 years ago

Wait, your library rents out more than books and DVDs? Our local library once had Kill a Watt devices on loan, but you could never get one and I believe they no longer do that.

I'd make use of renting other items if it were an option!

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bionicjoey -1 points 3 years ago

I don't really want either of those things. Maybe if the library has something I wanted it would be different

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FlyingSquid 6 points 3 years ago

This is what you said:

Anything I can rent at the library for free, I can pirate for free as well

What you meant was:

Anything I want that is at the library for free, I can pirate for free as well

Libraries do not exist for your personal benefit, and I doubt you have taken the time to check out what is available at your local library to actually know that for sure.

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bionicjoey 2 points 3 years ago

You're right, I misspoke. Simply responding to the assertion that it's dumb not to have a library card if you like free stuff. Not everyone wants what the library is offering.

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