Sunday, March 10, 2013

I Love my Local Library

I have always loved visiting my local library. I have always loved to check out the books in the entertainment / arts section. As a young kid, I would looking for books on magic, as a young adult I was looking for books on animation, and then it was books on Disney. I have always loved magazines, and since I can't afford to buy them all, the library has been a great resource to get all those magazines I want to read, but don't necessarily need to purchase. There are tons of graphic novels. Once I had a son, I started spending lots of time in the children's section. Now that video stores are pretty much a thing of the past, the library has become a great place to get movies... for free!
A number of years ago, I got an app for my iMac called Library Books from Harold Chu. Its one of the best apps on my Mac. It always sits at the top of my Macs menu bar and reminds me how many books I have out, let me know when books are due back by changing colour and lets me know when my requests are ready to be picked up. For just a few bucks on the Apple App Store it has saved me tons of late fees!
Another great feature of the app is that it makes is super simple to make a few clicks and do a search of books available though the library system and then place a hold on them. Once they show up, the app icon will turn green to alert you that you have an item to pick up. Most recently I have ordered Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends a great book by Jeff Kurtti, and the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, which is a great read! I also just picked up seasons 1, 2 & 3 of Anamaniacs which I am excited to share with my son. I am currently on the last disc of the IT Crowd season 3.
Our local libraries are also adding lots of new programs. This coming spring break, they are adding movie nights, a kite making session, board game nights (complete with pizza and snacks), Lego building sessions and more.
For those of you who have not been to a library in years, you may want to check it out again!

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