Favorite summer locations: library

Every time I am at the library I always wonder why there are not more people there. It seems like most of the people who understand the amazing resource that the library is are over 50. Where is my generation?

It seems as though my peers are are constantly watching something on TV, going to the movies, listening to music, or playing around on their phones. Whenever I pull out a book I get the weirdest looks, like I’m practicing math equations instead of reading an enticing story about a chaotic trip to France. It seems like people think that reading is only for learning and education and never for pleasure or fun.

So for those of you who cannot remember the last you stepped foot in a library or read without the threat of an essay or a test, here are my top reasons I love libraries:

• The options are endless! There are no limits on what I can borrow including books, magazines, comics, music, newspapers, and DVD’s. (I do not think people realize that the library has way more than books these days).

• It’s wonderfully quiet. Whether I am studying at school or on a break from work, I enjoy being in a quiet spot.

• It’s free! Over the summer I read about a book a week, which would be a ton of money if I was always heading to the bookstore. The most I pay for a book is 75 cents — the fee for requesting a book from another library.

• I never have to make room in my tiny bedroom/dorm for piles of books. I read it and send it back.

• Libraries are a great way to decrease your material consumption without sacrificing anything. Because the books are used by so many people and stored in one place it cuts down on the carbon for creating and shipping all of those books to every person who borrows them (assuming they would have bought the book instead). It also means that you are not increasing the use of paper made from virgin wood.

• If you are picky and pick up a book/ music/magazine/ect. only to realize you hate it, then the library is the place for you. When I hate a book I just give it back and try something else.

• Before you write off the library as some antiquated place that is slowly dying out, consider all of the things it can give. You can learn how to do something (through free classes or books), read a book, listen to music (and put it on your iTunes), read a magazine, escape from the heat or noise, rent a movie or a TV series, meet some new people, and get endless ideas.