You should upgrade to the paid subscription of your library card

March 20, 2024 8:17 AM

This is just a few TiKToks celebrating the fun of having a library card, that is all.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (44 comments total)

This was a nice partial antidote to my experiences on the job this morning, which once again made it clear that the managers who run the library I work for don't give one tiny damn about the library, the collections or anything else about the institution aside from their paychecks and power-tripping in their little office politics games.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:48 AM on March 20 [8 favorites]

We have been using Libby almost exclusively for our books since 2020, and it's been so great. Between my library system, NYPL, and my in-laws' system (they're the next county over), we can get just about anything we might want. We do go into the library sometimes for graphic novels (although the Libby experience on iPad is pretty good) and museum passes, though.

I love my library, and you should love yours, too! (Although I might send these TikToks to my wife so she gets her own card instead of using up all my Libby holds on weird memoirs and books about people dying in the wilderness.)
posted by uncleozzy at 9:05 AM on March 20 [7 favorites]

I have to admit I haven't had a library card in probably 15 years, which was probably the last time I had leisure time to read. I just don't know what I would use the library for at this point -- I know I should but it just ends up being a sort of formless guilt rather than something specifically missing from my life.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:25 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

I love my library. Have had a card since I was seven. I'm seventy seven now. Well, a few years in my twenties when I lived in NYC and I was pursuing other interests ...but that's another story.
posted by Czjewel at 9:34 AM on March 20 [3 favorites]

If your library has Kanopy or Hoopla, I recommend them as great options to watch movies. Kanopy, in particular, has a lot of international films, with a lot of overlap with Criterion.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:35 AM on March 20 [15 favorites]

uncleozzy, if you're in NY state (you mentioned having an NYPL card) then you and your inlaws probably have access to the library systems of all neighboring counties too. This means not only access to a wider collection but you actually get to check out five times as many books on your libby app! This was recently implemented for my upstate NY library system and it feels like someone just gave me the keys to gringott's haha. Both in the sense of I'M RICH and also ARE YOU SURE I AM ALLOWED TO DO THIS.
posted by MiraK at 9:43 AM on March 20 [4 favorites]

I just don't know what I would use the library for at this point...

Library cards, depending on the library, can be used for way more than books these days, definitely check to see what your local branch can do!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:44 AM on March 20 [9 favorites]

I attended the local library trustees meeting this week (some folks are pushing to get some books removed), and before the fireworks began, there was a report from the branch librarian who noted that they’ve been enjoying a big uptick in circulation and especially attendance for children’s and youth programs, and etc.

My wife says it’s because TikTok has turned its gaze that way. It’s like the old slashdot effect, but with more crossover into the real world.
posted by notyou at 9:49 AM on March 20 [5 favorites]

Librarian here, not much to say except this makes me happy to see and this is why we do what we do. And definitely seconding Kanopy and Libby.
posted by Rykey at 9:55 AM on March 20 [6 favorites]

Things I get free with my library card other than the right to check out books:

1. e-books & audiobooks through Hoopla, Libby, and Boundless
2. special e-book collection access through O'Reilly, LOTE (for kids), and Biblioboard
3. free streaming movies through Hoopla, Kanopy
4. free streams of music docs and concerts through Qello
5. more kids stuff from Kanopy Kids, Hellosaurus, ABCmouse
6. eMagazines through Libby & Hoopla
7. digital newstand access to print editions of newspapers from around the world by Press Readder
8. NYT and WSJ digital access passes
9. lanugage learning through Mango or Pronunciator
10. craft instructionals through Creativebug
11. online courses through Curisoity Stream, The Great Courses, Fiero Code, Scholastic Teachables, Udemy, Treehouse, and others
12. online ancestry and records searches
13. Consumer Reports access

And really there's a ton more, but I do have to work today.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:55 AM on March 20 [20 favorites]

Thanks for this post! It inspired me to sign up for an e-card at our county system for audiobooks and I can upgrade to full access next time I’m at a branch. Yay!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 9:58 AM on March 20 [3 favorites]

One of the libraries in my network has a (rudimentary) recording studio in the basement. It's mostly optimized for podcast recording and there are some setbacks to using it (ask me about the Gatorade jug filled with a frothy apple juice-like liquid I found on the floor one morning!), but I've been using it to record a song-for-song covers album of No 1 in Heaven by Sparks in the style of early ukulele crooners. It's been an interesting experience.
posted by pxe2000 at 10:00 AM on March 20 [9 favorites]

uncleozzy, if you're in NY state (you mentioned having an NYPL card) then you and your inlaws probably have access to the library systems of all neighboring counties too

Well, we're on Long Island, so... three systems, unfortunately. And it looks like the two counties on LI don't share access (yet)? I don't know, honestly. But the truth is we have access to pretty much anything we might want through these three systems. On the rare occasion we don't have an ebook, I can usually get a hardcopy either in the library or via ILL, which is also great. Anyway, libraries are great, everyone should use theirs.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:12 AM on March 20 [3 favorites]

there was a report from the branch librarian who noted that they’ve been enjoying a big uptick in circulation and especially attendance for children’s and youth programs, and etc.

My wife says it’s because TikTok has turned its gaze that way.

Just look at what the Communists are turning our children into with this demon app! Readers!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:13 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

WHERE DO Y'ALL FIND ALL OF THIS TIME THO
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:20 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

uncleozzy, our systems across Nassau and Suffolk interface through LILink, the inter library loan takes a bit longer than inside the county, but it should be linked to your library’s catalog site.
posted by dr_dank at 10:20 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

I mean if it helps the library for me to get a card that I never use anyway I will get one but is that actually the case?
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:22 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Just highlighting what uncleozzy said about museum passes. Also some libraries are offering things like maker spaces, tool lending, art lending, even lending jigsaw puzzles.

I love love love love love my library; I have been a huge user of my local libraries since I was tiny. (I think I got my first card at age 5.)

I have been making a point of thanking public workers when I see them, and that goes quadruple for library workers. Librarians and library staff are the very, very best, and I am so grateful for everything they do for folks, from helping people fill out forms on library computers to helping me track down that book that's SUPPOSED to be on the shelf, I mean the online catalog SAYS it is, where could it be?

To every library staff person reading this thread: I thank you with all the thanks I have. You make the world a better place, every hour of every day.

Thank you for posting this, Brandon Blatcher!
posted by kristi at 10:38 AM on March 20 [14 favorites]

OH! Also, not everyone knows about the holds/request system found at most US libraries now:

If there's something you'd like to check out, you can usually look it up in the library catalog and put a hold or request on it, and specify the branch where you want to pick it up. Really want to listen to that CD that's way across town and read that book that's all the way at the main library? Just ask them to send them to your local branch! Works great for things that get checked out a lot, too - you can just sign up to be next in line for that book, and they'll ship it over to your local branch when your turn comes.

Yay libraries!
posted by kristi at 10:42 AM on March 20 [5 favorites]

I am a library trustee. I <3 my library, and all libraries and librarians.

They start with little enough resources, and they give and give and give. You want/need something? Ask them -- they'll see what they can do. They welcome everyone, and they never take anything personally.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:17 AM on March 20 [4 favorites]

I'm a member of a few systems and I've been using it for my job search: get 20 free pages of prints a day so printing out my resume, using an online resume template resource, and also got a free headshot for my LinkedIn profile.

Also still have a DVD and VHS player so with the interstate leading program been able to see movies and shows that aren't streaming.
posted by girlmightlive at 11:19 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

WHERE DO Y'ALL FIND ALL OF THIS TIME THO

For me, I stopped watching TV, basically. Not for any moral reason or anything, I just sort of ran out of stuff on the various streaming apps that I was interested in, and started reading more for my leisure time. Here in eastern MA not only do I have access to my local public library, but the huge Minuteman network of all the other suburban libraries, plus I can get an e-card through the BPL. I can get ebooks through Hoopla from my city library, and on Libby both from my city and the BPL.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 11:29 AM on March 20 [5 favorites]

Along with the free streaming services recommended above, the ability to look up/reserve/borrow DVDs (and Blu-rays!) of all kinds -- recent Hollywood blockbusters, classics, TV series, foreign films, documentaries, etc. -- makes your local library an amazing alternative to streaming, and a more than adequate replacement for Netflix's discontinued DVDs-by-mail service.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:31 AM on March 20 [3 favorites]

I love my library! I just got back from picking up a pile of books I had reserved.

My branch even has a YARN LIBRARY. So it's drawers of donated yarn, and you can take 4 skeins a month FOR FREE! One of my friends is learning how to crochet and hasn't had to pay for anything. It's awesome. AWESOME.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 11:39 AM on March 20 [6 favorites]

Oh! A few years ago the city and county combined library catalogs, and I have thoroughly been enjoying expanded access to books! And they lend out of a lot of other items that I have used but appreciate that they offer:
- fishing poles
- telescopes
- binoculars
- musical instruments
- video games
- tabletop games
- pickleball kits
- disc golf kits
- puzzles

I was in Christchurch a few weeks ago and their central library has a 3D printer, a community puzzle (so 1000 piece puzzle just out for everybody to add a piece to), a sewing machine, an ironing board, and a serger. Loved it.

Thank you librarians!
posted by Ms Vegetable at 11:52 AM on March 20 [6 favorites]

WHERE DO Y'ALL FIND ALL OF THIS TIME THO

Sometimes I read a book instead of reading metafilter. That's just me.
posted by phunniemee at 11:53 AM on March 20 [9 favorites]

I got myself a cute little Bluetooth speaker/pixel art display that's shaped like a tiny computer for my birthday a few months ago just because it was cute, and then I was like okay but what do I actually use this for?? And ever since then I've been listening to (library) audiobooks while I'm working. I exclusively listen to nonfiction books while I work, and it's really no different than listening to a podcast (which people find socially acceptable to do while working all the time). I'm listening to one right now!
posted by phunniemee at 11:56 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

OK, apologies, obviously my comment was unwelcome and a derail. Basically I feel super guilty about not being a Library Person and was apparently not in a headspace to be (metaphorically) kicked in the face by a person on TikTok about it. Mods if you want to delete please do.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:03 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]

Inspired by DirtyOldTown's list I just dug through the options from my local libraries* and made myself a spreadsheet of who offers what. TIL I have access to Ancestry.com, Consumer Reports, and JSTOR, and I can apparently access the WSJ for three days at a time.

* As I've posted here before, I have accounts at five of the ten libraries around DC with reciprocal agreements, and #6 is an easy trip on the Metro when I'm inspired (or when we run out of Hoopla credits, whichever comes first).
posted by fedward at 12:04 PM on March 20 [4 favorites]

Also, as more proof of the adage that DC is a small town, I recently learned that Carlos who does merch at a bunch of shows around DC is the guy behind the "What's more punk than the public library" shirt and fundraiser.
posted by fedward at 12:11 PM on March 20 [5 favorites]

phunniemee: "Sometimes I read a book instead of reading metafilter. That's just me."

Why, though?
posted by signal at 12:12 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

I just don't know what I would use the library for at this point...

My local library loans out e-bikes!
posted by jeremias at 1:23 PM on March 20 [4 favorites]

I can't watch tiktok on my work computer, but I'm grateful for this thread because it inspired me to find out what other library memberships I am eligible other than the city I live in and for which I already have a card. Turns out my library has reciprocal relationships with several others, and there's a state library I'm eligible to get a card for as well!
posted by solotoro at 1:24 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]

Some libraries offer delivery to patrons, too. (Sometimes these deliveries are coordinated by Friends of Libraries groups.) As an example: Michigan's Grosse Pointe Public Library is among a handful of libraries across the country that have expanded their home delivery service—typically designed for older patrons and those with illnesses or disabilities—to now include families with new children. At GPPL's site: "Expecting a little one or bringing home a new child? One of our Outreach Librarians can stop by with books for you and/or older siblings and information about family resources in our area."
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:25 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]

If you have a card for the West Vancouver library: bees
posted by morspin at 3:37 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]

WHERE DO Y'ALL FIND ALL OF THIS TIME THO

If you haven’t had a card in 15 years you might not have discovered Libby or other library apps. It saves me a lot of time. I have a list of books I come across that I want to read and I put them on hold (I have a longer list on my phone) and then one day they Magically Offer to Appear and I either say “skip me for a few weeks” or “okay.” And when they are due, the vanish, so they are never ever overdue. I don’t have to darken my library’s door (although I do.)

I read in the morning for 20 ish minutes and at night before sleep and Sunday is my “lie in bed and read until 9” morning and it’s awesome. Also the usual spots: waiting for an appointment, on transit (I’m not a daily commuter right now, which I miss in terms of reading time), lunch break, etc.

Alllll that said because yay library card, having a card in no way makes you a better or worse person. It is however truly fun.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:01 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]

Ooh I need to get my work to write me a letter so I can join the city library, they have Kanopy. Thanks for reminding me! I really want to watch The Language You Cry In.
posted by wilberforce at 6:03 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

(My local library doesn't have Kanopy unfortunately.)
posted by wilberforce at 6:14 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Also, not everyone knows about the holds/request system found at most US libraries now

I use this feature all of the time. My local library used to have (they might still, I don't know) vending machines in one of the train stations that you could have your holds delivered to. To get your book you scan your library card. Super convenient if you are commuting. They also had "to go" stations that were just the hold shelf scattered about town, including one on campus which was super convenient. Now that I mostly work from home I just go to the library in my free time.

The last time I used my library card was *checks clock* an hour ago, when I went to pick up "Cars on Fire" by Mónica Ramón Ríos. I had put it on hold because my local branch is the main library which doesn't really have books, not like it used to. Instead it has maker spaces, podcasting studios, games rooms (with PS5s &c.), a giant touch screen wall showing a scene from the cretaceous that you can interact with, a children's library and play area, &c. &c. I kind of miss the old library, which was quieter and more book focused, but the new library is always full of people.
posted by selenized at 6:44 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]

WHERE DO Y'ALL FIND ALL OF THIS TIME THO

If you're me, it's some of the above answers and also having 1 day on the weekend with no screens (sounds hard, sometimes is, is actually so good for my brain and sleep and mental health) and no screens before pants and no screens after no pants (i.e. no starting at my phone while I'm brushing my teeth, no screens after I've put on PJs). Books fit in there for me.

But I've always been a book nerd. I was the kid who carried a book around with me to read in between classes, a book to the dentist/doctor, to holiday parties, etc. I got hooked in fourth grade with some RL Stine a classmate slipped me during quiet reading, got off the stuff in college when required reading killed my ability to enjoy it, creeped back after that, lost it again when my kid was born, and have been happily back to BOOKS especially LIBRARY BOOKS since then. I'm kind of glad that I've lost the ability to enjoy books and found it again because it means I know I can get it back if I lose it again, if that makes sense.

And while I definitely went to the library as a kid and did summer reading and got prizes and all, I wasn't really a LIBRARYLIBRARYLIBRARY convert until I was a broke-ass post-college under-employed person. Books, internet, music, movies, tv shows, puzzles, games, newspapers and crossword puzzles, magazines, seed library, museum passes, outdoor summer concerts with local bands. I got into audiobooks when I got the swine flu and could barely get off the couch, let alone open my eyes. My wife has measured the energy use of our appliances using the Kill-O-Watt borrowed from the library. I made my kid's birthday using a library baking pan. My wife borrowed a violin. I am on the waitlist for an induction cooktop. Libraries gave me so much and still do. It's awesome.

My local libraries (reciprocal borrowing is the best) have things like: 10 pages of free printing, which you can send remotely (there's a link) and pick up in person the next day. Or ESL classes where you can practice your speaking skills or if you're a fluent speaker, you can volunteer to practice with someone learning English. That program also has classes for citizenship. Borrow tablets, telescopes, musical instruments, wifi hotspots. Borrow glasses and view the eclipse. Tax assistance days. Resume, job search, interview, placement assistance. Seeds. Amplifiers and projectors. Film showings.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:58 AM on March 21 [2 favorites]

Things I get free with my library card other than the right to check out books:

- Forgot your keys in your apartment? Let yourself back in!
- create a DIY stand for your iPhone
- shred metal with a guitar pick
- save the environment with a tiny twee planter
- get a binder and collect them; a full set those limited editions are at least 200 bucks!
posted by pwnguin at 11:22 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]

Blast, I started on audiobooks when I commuted (many many years ago), now I have them on anytime I'm doing something with my hands that isn't a screen (cooking, gardening, walking, grocery, etc).

It's been a very long time since I've read an ebook for probably the same reason (when?), and when something isn't available as an audio book (especially old SF), I'm an ILLing machine! (Interlibrary loan, where you can borrow rare/hard to find/out of print books from any library who participates, for free.)

Oh, my library also acts as my printer and scanner. One of the few things I missed from working in an office when I stopped.
posted by esoteric things at 7:02 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]

Guys. For serious, I actually do know what a library is. What I should have said (was nothing) was "gosh how nice it would be to have the kind of time/headspace/energy to make use of the library system; I should do something about that. But since I currently can't, should I have a library card anyway just for the library's sake?"

Can we pretend I said that normal thing instead of responding off the cuff out of a terrible mood and three nights of no sleep, and then everyone can move on?
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:53 AM on March 22 [2 favorites]

[I'm sorry you're having a rough time, WpofiBH. I haven't read every comment, or clocked deletions, and I'd thought most posters — including our librarian mefites — were highlighting less-familiar features for anyone reading the site. (Yarn stashes and bee-bungalow loans are completely cool, and completely new to me.) My comment about deliveries was made in that spirit, and I apologize if it came across as criticism.]

Library cards are a positive, painless means of civic engagement, so yes, I think everyone should have one. No matter how often an individual cardholder uses a library's services, or however the library system values the instance of that issued card statistically, having that card is a clear vote of confidence in libraries (the bedrock of communities).

[I hope things improve soon, and that you get a good night's sleep.]
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:36 PM on March 22 [2 favorites]