Support Your Local Library

This blog goes out to my sister Marty, staunch advocate of libraries and a librarian herself.


We have rediscovered the library; I hope it's not too late. After years of needlessly buying books (shows you what too much disposable income can lead to), we've once again started to make real use of the local library.  While we've always had library cards, we've often neglected to use them in favor of needlessly buying more crap. And while I enjoy the comfort of a well-stocked bookshelf, I must say that such individual hoarding is selfish and unsustainable. 


We need to collectively rediscover this and other such community resources if we are to survive as a species. More co-ops, more collectives, more intentional communities, more sharing in general. Do we each need our own garden implements and tools? Can't we have one neighborhood car we share? And think of the potential pool of cheap labor if we made proper shared use of our local day cares and elementary schools.

One benefit of going to the library, in addition to the shared access to books, music, and video, is the chance to get a little exercise. This is the Renfrew Branch, about 1.2 clicks from our place (a ten minute walk for me).

The humble library card. I guess we can credit the success of consumerism for endangering our once vital library systems. Thank-you corporate world order.

When we moved, we gave away hundreds of books. While we're still saddled with a few, they're mostly reference and how-to books—resources we could share with our future intentional community members.

And why does one need one's own copy of Brave New World, especially when one is living in it?