Great Public Service

You probably never thought you'd see "great" and "public service" in the same title. Well, it's true- your tax payer dollars are at work for something truly beneficial: The public library. I always forget what a great service the library can be. I visited yesterday and was amazed at how busy it was and how much there was to check out. I'm sure most of you are stuck with library memories of sea turtle research papers and encyclopedias of ancient civilizations that have a copyright of 1969. I, too, have been an info snob and have considered much of what the library offers to be outdated. That may still hold true. Good thing I'm not doing a research paper on anything new and exciting. What impressed me last night was the great selection of media you can check out for FREE. Yes, my favorite word: FREE. Unless you're looking for super new releases, next time you want to rent a DVD for the weekend- go to the library. They have "real" DVDs like Spiderman and The Omen as well as the educational classics we saw millions of times in high school. What is even cooler than that is their collection of compilation DVDs. They had many TV series box sets that you can rent for two weeks. Did I mention it's FREE? I checked out Touched by an Angel Season Two and Penn & Teller Bullshit Season One (that one's for Don.). They had Cheers, Golden Girls, ER. I was so impressed. Of course, it's not a huge selection, so if you are specifically looking for Season Five of Gilmore Girls only- don't hold your breath. You can also check out CDs and they aren't all classical, either (although there are many classical offerings.). I checked out the new Michael W. Smith CD for Don and checked out Wicked on a whim a few years ago and got hooked. Same thing: if you want something specific this probably isn't the place, but if you are open to discovering some new things this is a great low commitment way to do it. Next time you're bored and thinking about checking out some different DVDs, CDs and books drive to the library instead of Blockbuster. You can even check the inventory online. The library has become more user friendly for sure.

The public library is a great thing!