|
Where can
you borrow a garden rake or fishing pole, host a
conference-room meeting and get free passes to the local
museum?
It might
be at your local public library.
Libraries
have always been great money savers because of all the
books and periodicals you can borrow and use for free.
But they've continued to evolve with the times, and now
a library card has become a must-have ticket to savings.
Offerings
at libraries can vary widely, so the only way to know
all that yours offers is to check out the website or
visit in person. But here's a sampling of some unusual
services you might find, with help from Molly Raphael,
president of the American Library Association.
E-books.
Today, many libraries are able to lend electronic
versions of books to read on devices such as e-readers,
smartphones or tablet computers. Depending on the
library, you might be able to download books at home
from the library's website or by visiting the library.
Books automatically "time out" at the end of
the lending period and disappear from your device if you
don't renew them. And there are built-in potential
savings: You won't incur late fees because there's
nothing to return. Some libraries will even lend out
e-readers. That can be a great way to "try before
you buy" an e-reader, if you're unsure whether you
will enjoy reading e-books. In the same vein, some
libraries will lend out iPods for listening to
audiobooks. Of course, only a select number of e-books
or audiobooks are available.
Equipment.
Among the most unusual things some libraries lend is
equipment. The Oakland (Calif.) Public Library, for
example, has some 2,700 tools that it lends, from saws
to demolition hammers. Other libraries will loan fishing
poles and tackle boxes. "The one thing about
libraries is, we're set up to lend things," Raphael
said. Some could argue that equipment lending is not
part of a library's core business, but libraries do have
a mission of learning and discovery, Raphael said.
At other
libraries, you can borrow paintings and sculptures,
movie projectors and digital cameras, and karaoke
machines and laptop computers.
Museum
tickets. Libraries and museums often have bonds within a
community. Sometimes, the library will lend out passes
to museums that might get a family of four in for free.
Instead of a borrowing term of three or four weeks, like
for books, you might have 48 hours to use and return the
pass. "Those are very popular," Raphael said.
In some places, showing your library card gets you into
the museum for free. "Those arrangements happen at
the local level," she said.
Internet.
"One of the things people cut back on is high-speed
Internet access at home because they can't afford it
anymore," Raphael said. Fortunately, the number of
libraries offering wireless Internet has more than
doubled in the last four years, she said. Now, about 80
percent of libraries offer wireless Internet access,
usually available to anyone, regardless of whether they
have a library card. In fact, most libraries leave the
wireless on when the library is closed. Often, you can
park in the library lot during off-hours and still get
online , useful when you're traveling and need to check
email with a laptop, she said.
Kilowatt
meters. Many libraries offer Kill A Watt devices for
checkout. These are electricity-usage monitors that help
you measure how much energy an appliance or device uses,
giving you the ability to track how much it will cost
over time and identify electricity hogs. The meters are
often supplied in collaboration with the local energy
company, Raphael said.
Meeting
space. Libraries often have different types of meeting
rooms they will let members use, sometimes for free.
"Some libraries started charging, but the rate is a
lot less than if you reserved space in a commercial
place," Raphael said.
Live
entertainment. Most libraries have a wide variety of
child and adult programs. They might include a puppet
theater or vignette from the local opera company. Of
course, book clubs and author presentations are standard
fare. "It's a summer experience for kids and free
entertainment, maybe rather than sending kids to summer
camp," Raphael said. "It's not 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. like a summer camp might be, but there are a
multitude of programs."
Entertainment
media. Besides novels, libraries often offer such
entertainment media as movies and video games. Some will
let you borrow video game accessories, such as
microphones, steering wheels and drums. Many libraries
lend out toys, often geared toward improving motor
skills and early-childhood learning. Adults might find
knitting needles, unusual cake-baking pans, sewing
patterns and scrapbooking kits.
Online
databases. Information databases can be extremely useful
and are often extremely expensive. Some libraries will
give you free home access to databases that otherwise
cost thousands of dollars. You log in with your library
card number.
For
example, you can get access to a database of magazines
and journals that includes the full text of articles. If
you wanted to search Consumer Reports for ratings on
lawn mowers , a paid service , you can do that for free,
sometimes from home.
Of
course, the library also has a slew of printed research
materials that can help with everything from applying to
college to finding a new job.
Instruction.
Most libraries hold instructional classes. Examples
include gardening and cooking, grant-writing and
creating a business plan, using a computer mouse or
Microsoft PowerPoint, investing and money management,
and writing a job resume and cover letter.
Librarians.
Perhaps the greatest resource of all is free access to
an information expert, your local librarian, who,
coincidentally, can turn you on to all the new offerings
the library has.
ABOUT THE
WRITER
Gregory
Karp, the author of "Living Rich by Spending
Smart," writes for the Chicago Tribune. Readers may
send him email at gkarp@tribune.com.
|
