Take ten minutes to visit your library. Books, CDs, DVDs and possibly free internet

louiseg_2

At Bury Libraries you can also get Dog Poop bags! and if you are registered with YPAS you can pick up condoms. You can also access the NHS site to book your hospital appointment. Why not visit our internet site at https://www.bury.gov.uk/libraries.

Ken-Dodds-Hairy-Knodule

bodgerella wrote: »

Don't forget Libraries always have children's sessions on during the school hols which are always free.

Not all libraries - my local libraries are the opposite ; they have stuff going on during term time but stop them during the holidays. Same with all the local playgroups/parent and toddler groups.

MLA_J.Dolan

At the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) we recognise the value of public libraries in saving money. They offer free access to millions of books from the classics to manga, along with magazines, newspapers and anything else you need for learning and leisure. You can access the internet, and also borrow from a selection of CDs, DVDs and playstation games for a small charge. If you’re looking for free impartial advice or information, then helpful and knowledgeable staff are always on hand. Or through the People’s Network free ‘Enquire’ service https://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk you can contact a trained member of library staff to discuss any question, any time. To be part of our ‘Love Libraries’ campaign visit https://www.lovelibraries.co.uk and ‘have your say’ about public libraries.

dizzy_blonde_2

I have a serious book addiction, and thank goodness for my local library, because once I've bought and read a book I can't bear to part with it so it gets filed under S for Shelf. So the library helps me to money-save in two ways, 1) saves the cost of buying books and 2) saves the cost of buying a bigger house to keep them all in!

Bella_b

I borrow a lot of books from my library! I might try dvds next time

honey

Thanks for the links MLA J.Dolan, I'm going to have a good read through later.

It's brilliant to see so many positive comments about libraries here :j

Knyght

A quick question that I've always meant to ask, but always forgot.

Will libraries (generally) take donations of books and put them up for loan? I've plenty of stuff I could do with getting rid of.

Dreamweaver_2

Knyght wrote: »

A quick question that I've always meant to ask, but always forgot.

Will libraries (generally) take donations of books and put them up for loan? I've plenty of stuff I could do with getting rid of.

how about taking them to a charity shop

pmd

This page http://dictionary.oed.com/services/public-libs.html lists the public library services which subscribe to the wonderful full text Oxford English Dictionary so that you can use it from home if you've got a library ticket number. I guess in most cases the link will take you to a page which will tell you about other online services they've got (eg Grove Dictionary of Music/Art, Dictionary of National Biography, etc).

As an ex-university-librarian myself I'm thrilled that the public libraries can now offer this sort of facility, which univ staff and students have had access to for a long time. You'll also often find that your local authority's "central" library, at least, provides access to lots of other online services - just ask a librarian at your local branch and they should be able and enthusiastic to tell you about what's available!

And about renewing books - you can usually do this by phone, as well as in the library or online. If forgetting, and getting fines, is a problem... write the due date down on your calendar or diary, it might help! (But a few days fines is cheaper than buying the book, anyway).

zar

Bevann wrote: »

I work in libraries too and am amazed some authorities charge £1.50 to reserve a book. In Kent libraries we only charge 25p to reserve a book from any Kent library and £2.00 from outside Kent (this inculdes overseas and we sometimes get books from America).

I always feel guilty for reserving books as they even send you a postcard to say its ready and the stamp costs more than the cost of reserving it! The other brilliant thing about Kent library is that the whole county is one library so you don't have to take items back to the same place you got them from - great for me as I live in the countryside and don't always visit the same towns/villages as where I got the book from. The downside is that all the libraries I've visited (Wye, Lyminge, Canterbury, folkestone...) are all tiny so in order to get any book I want to read I always need to reserve it from somewhere else in the county. 25p well spent though. :cool:

In the past year we've been on holiday to both norfolk and Devon and used the local libraries to go on the internet for free (you need to join in Norfolk so need ID like a drivers licence, but in devon you could use the computers without joining). I still have cards from when I lived in Coventry, Ceredigion and East Yorkshire so am building up quite a library card collection.

Another tip for any students out there - if you need to use a university library in the holidays, most universities have reciprical arrangements allowing students to use their libraries. Policies vary so its worth checking if you'll need proof you are a student etc., but v useful if you have any essays/dissertations to do over vacations when you are back with your parents.