Check out

Y’know what else I love? The library. It’s safe to assume that I also love reading, but I think my reading enjoyment is enhanced and perhaps even perpetuated by the library system. Here’s the deal... at my slowest, I go through one book a month. And when I’m on one of my periodic reading kicks, I’ll go through up to 3 books in a month! I can afford to buy those books, but since I never re-read stuff, it’d feel like sort of a waste (I guess I could handle $5/book, but paperbacks are up to 8 or 9 bucks, and don’t even get me started on hardbacks!)

But, ahhh, the library.... all the books you could ever read, and it’s completely free (fine, my taxes pay for it...) And not only are the books free, the system is ridiculously simple to use. Yesterday I realized that I am almost done with Startide Rising. So I fired up telnet and connected to linas.lincc.lib.or.us and within a minute I had discovered that one of the two books I want to read next, The Uplift War, was available and waiting to be picked up at the Ledding library (Ender’s Game is checked out with a 2 person hold queue... looks like I’ll have to join the queue if I want to read it after Uplift). I was in the area yesterday evening, so I walked in, grabbed it off the shelf, checked it out, and voila, I've got hours and hours of entertainment for free. Seriously, it almost feels like stealing!

When I have kids, I intend to burn this deep appreciation of the library in to their fragile little brains. I know that MY love of reading and the library is thanks to one person... Thanks dad!