Reading Hacks part 2
By Jay Flood
Reading can be a very expensive hobby. The average cost of a book today is around $15, a monthly subscription to Audible is either $7.95 for the basic version or $14.95 for the premium version, a monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited is $11.99 and the cost of a kindle is anywhere from $64.99-$254.00, depending on which one you get. Reading can be very expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Libraries in the United States are very accessible and free to the public, all you need is a library card.
What Do Libraries Do?
Libraries not only provide access to books, they also offer access to technology, movies and cds, audiobooks, and free meeting rooms. Each library is different, but some even offer free museum passes, tutoring resources, recording equipment, help with taxes, and more! Libraries use their funding to provide resources for those in poverty who experience prejudice and barriers to education, technology, housing, employment, and other basic needs. Most jobs require potential employees to have a permanent address, which is a barrier for homeless people. Most jobs also require a way to contact potential employees, which makes access to technology a barrier for impoverished people. Most jobs require potential employees to have reliable transportation, which means not having public transportation a barrier. Most jobs require potential employees to have basic literacy skills, which makes education a barrier. Libraries use their funding to provide resources for those in need of them.
How do Libraries get their Funding?
Libraries get their funding from city, county, and state taxes and sometimes federal grants. The community pays libraries to provide services for the community. Libraries can also receive grants from non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, and individual donors. Libraries also use their “sign-up” stats to advocate for more funding from local policy makers. Getting a free library card not only provides you with so many benefits, but it also shows the local government that the library is valuable and deserves more funding, which then benefits you and your entire community even more!
Libby
My favorite service libraries provide is access to Libby, a free app. Connecting your library card to libby gives you access to countless free e-books and audiobooks. You can place audiobooks and e-books on hold, borrow them for anywhere from 7-21 days, and renew them. On audiobooks, you can change the speed to be at .6x speed at the lowest and 3x speed at the highest. Before Libby, I never listened to audiobooks. But now, half the books I read are audiobooks. You can also download e-books onto your phone, or if you have one, a tablet, and read anywhere at anytime. I always bring a physical book with me, but sometimes it feels socially inappropriate to pull out a book, but not socially inappropriate to be on your phone. At one of my jobs, being on my phone is frowned upon but I’m allowed to read or do school work. However, at my other job, we are allowed to be on our phones when we aren’t busy but reading a physical book looks bad.
Reading a physical book in public also seems to invite conversation with strangers whereas being on your phone tells people not to talk to you. So, if you’re someone who likes to chat, reading a physical book on public transportation might be a conversation starter because people love to ask what you’re reading and if you like it. However, if you’re like me and you prefer to keep to yourself, reading on your phone might be the better option. Having the option to read on your phone can also help limit the time you spend scrolling aimlessly on social media. I am guilty of using social media as a way to pass time in public because having something to stare at that isn’t other people is easier. However, it has been proven that reading has benefits and social media really doesn’t. So, I have found that reading books instead of tweets on my phone improves my critical thinking and problem-solving skills, capacity for empathy, and overall general knowledge of the world and other people as well as make me feel more productive.
How and Where to get a Library Card
Every library is different, but most libraries require some type of identification, like a drivers license or passport. Some libraries have free applications online and will send a digital library card number to your email address, some libraries have applications to fill out online and bring to the library, and some libraries require the person to come into the library to fill out an application. There are some libraries that allow out-of-state residents to obtain a library card for an annual fee, but in-state residents get their library card for free.
If you want a library card but don’t know where to get one, the best place to start is your local library! There are also plenty of free library cards you can get online, all you have to do is google search “free online library cards” or “free online library cards in [your state].” There will be an application to fill out, and shortly after you’ll receive your digital library card in your email inbox. Some libraries verify your application the next business day, so you might have to wait a little bit.
Library Cards and Libby
Once you have your library card and the Libby app, you can add a library card to your account by searching for the library or branch location, clicking on the correct one, and then typing in your library card number and pin number. Some local libraries are part of a consortium, which means a lot of local libraries are associated with one another. For example, the Wood County District Public Library (WCDPL) is part of the Serving Every Ohioan (SEO) library consortium which consists of 98 library members. So, by having a library card at the WCDPL grants access to The Ohio Digital Library, which is a program of the State Library of Ohio. Connecting The Ohio Digital Library card to Libby basically gives you access to all of the e-books and audiobooks available across all 98 libraries in the SEO consortium.
Since I am impatient and don’t like waiting, I added seven library cards to my Libby account. I have The Ohio Digital Library, Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Warren-Trumble County Public Library, Columbus Metropolitan Library which is part of the Digital Downloads Collaboration, and CLEVNET which is a consortium of 47 library systems, including my hometown library.
Because of Libby and Library cards, you don’t need to pay a subscription for Audible or Kindle Unlimited and you don’t need to buy books unless you want to own them. Yes, you do pay taxes to have a library card that gives you access to Libby, so it’s not technically free. However, if you were to use Audible and Kindle Unlimited, you’d be paying taxes for an unused library card as well as your monthly subscription fee for Audible and Kindle Unlimited. Owning multiple library cards gives you access to more audiobooks and e-books, there’s a lower chance of having to hold a book and wait for someone to finish and return it, and the government sees how valuable libraries are and gives them more funding, which also benefits you! Getting at least one library card and downloading Libby is a no-brainer.
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