I would not claim to be “green,” but I’m greener than I was, and I’m interested in learning about changes I can make to get greener. That’s one reason I love the new 5 Minutes for Going Green site. Each week I get information on small changes I should be and could be making to reduce my carbon footprint.
One area that I have mastered is taking my own canvas bags to the grocery store. In addition to the fact that they are reusable and not plastic, they hold more and they are sturdier than those plastic bags they go through by the hundreds (thousands?) at the grocery store.
I’ve recently expanded my use of these canvas bags. They are perfect for loading up items for a picnic at the park (which is more environmentally friendly than stopping at McDonald’s). I love to use them when I’m packing up stuff for a weekend away, and in addition to grocery shopping, I use my totes each week by taking them to the library.
I am the mother of two little bookworms, and of course I love to read too, so our trips to the library result in more than one book a piece. My four-year-old usually comes home with a Thomas DVD, a Thomas book or two, and maybe another book if I’ve been able to convince him to look beyond the foot of space devoted to the Reverend W. Auden’s collected works. My nine-year-old always gets at least three or four books and finishes them in time to return them the following week. Since I am up to my ears in review copies, I stay away from fiction at the library, but I often bring home a (heavy) cookbook or two.
My minusbags canvas tote works perfectly for this. It doesn’t have a store logo emblazoned on it, and it’s not that thin canvas that I’ve acquired for 99 cents.
It got me to thinking that using the library is a very green practice:
- Libraries use and reuse resources—one book purchased by the library will be enjoyed by many people, as opposed to buying my own copy of a book and reading it and then letting it take up space on my bookshelf.
- Using the library saves fuel—my library is much closer to me than any bookstore. Even if I shop online (which is honestly how I buy 95% of my books), those books I order are shrink-wrapped, packed and shipped across country resulting in used fuel.
- Using the library supports the community – even though I’m not technically consuming, staying local is good for the local economy.
Would you like to win one of two gorgeous minusbags totes? Leave a comment here telling me your favorite part of using the library. I’ll draw two winners on August 20 (The giveaway is now closed. Thanks for all your great comments about libraries).
Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan is a contributing editor at 5 Minutes for Mom. She has been blogging at Snapshot for over two years. You’ll almost always find her holding either a book, a fork, a child’s hand, her laptop, or some combination therein.
My favorite part of using the library is probably the new fiction section. I love finding new books! Thanks!
My favorite part about using the library is the lack of clutter accumulating in my house. We have shelves upon shelves of books in our office. Dusting them is a royal pain.
Since we started using the library earlier this year our collection hasn’t grown. In fact we are going to be freeing up more space by donating many of our books to the library.
I love so many things about the library – interlibrary loan, that it is air-conditioned in the summer, the computers my girls can play on, preschool story time, summer reading programs … too many things to pick just one. We try and go every other week and stock up.
The library is a stress reliever/money saver for me; a place with no phones to answer, no dishes to put away, no clothes to iron and no charge for reading books…my favorite stress reliever of all.
My favorite part of visiting the library is the sense of community that I find there. When I moved to our small town the library was one of the first places that I got to know people and I quickly became friends with the librarians. Now a visit to the library means my kids will get to chat with the librarian about their favorite books, and the librarian may have set something aside with just them in mind. I love that kind of personalized service which is harder to find at a big city library.
My favorite part of using the library is being able to peruse the variety of books, read a little of one and find out whether that author is one I would enjoy – without spending a dime! My daughter can go her way, I can go mine and we meet up to enjoy our selections together. Thank you for the chance to win a great tote!
I love that I can read all the newest books without having to purchase them
I have always enjoyed watching my daughter search for a book at the library and the look of happiness on her face when she finds it! Usually it is a book that she has already read in her Language Arts class and she wants to share it with me or just enjoy it again. The library is one of our most favorite places to visit.
My favorite part of going to the library is that my kiddos can play. Our library was built with children in mind so they can play chess or checkers, build with legos or blocks, work puzzles, or play with puppets. They also have their own set of computers that they can play games on.
I just love the library. I always have. When I was younger, I used to go to the library every Monday night after school to get 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading before my dad picked me up on his way home from work.
Right now, my favorite (and my boys’ favorite) part of the library is probably the big pirate ship that was an Eagle Scout project donated to the library several years ago.
I love libraries because they it’s the one place I can go with my 2 preteen kids & we can all find something we like. Sometimes my daughter isn’t into reading, but will flip thru a few fashion magazines or get an audio-book.
Love the diversitivity.
I love storytime. They have glass windows in the story room and you drop your kids off and are free to look around or sit in a comfy chair and read for an hour while they read several books to the children and have activities such as music and crafts for them. You can still keep an eye on them, and the kids can see you, yet you both get a much needed break from one another.
I don’t have to spend money on the books I want to read. They have a great selection of books and it is very close. Also, my library has an option at check out where you can email your reciept home and not waste paper on something that you are just going to throw away.
Well, we have a small, rural library, but it surprisingly well stocked! I like libraries, because they are free, and you can get interlibrary loans!
I love our library for so many reasons—a variety of books on so many topics and interests. It helps keep the clutter down at our home (though there are hundreds of books in our small house). I’m a third grade teacher and I use the library for resources of read aloud books for my class. I like that if I check out a book and don’t like it, I don’t feel guilty not finishing it (which I would feel if I bought it myself).
I think one reason I love the library is because it holds many happy memories of summer reading programs from my childhood. My mother taking us to the library is a very fond memory.
I bought a “tote bag” from our library to hold our library books but I’d love to win one of your fun bags!
I love the fact that you are doing the Classics and that the Children’s classics are coming up! I hope this encourages more and more people to read!
phillipsonlygirl at gmail dot com
Aside from the fact that using my library has made me much more discriminating when actually I buy books, I love being able to reserve books online. I get an email when my books are ready and I simply walk in and pick them up off the reserved shelf. I can then either make it a quick trip or use the rest of my time to supervise and help my boys get their books.
We decorated canvas bags last year for the boys to use as their library bags. They love them.
Awesome giveaway.
our library has the best programs for children! love Nashville Public Library!
i also love that it is FREE!
Our library installed a great new feature on it’s website. It allows readers to choose to track what they’ve read from the library.
Before this was offered, I had to keep track of what I was checking out and reading from the library. I could never call in and ask them to look back in their records to see what I had checked out once the books were returned.
Now at the end of each month, I can simply cut and paste my library book lists into my excel spreadsheet. No more typing each one in.
I love the reading groups for finding new titles or genres to try out.
We have a great interlibrary loan system with 8 other branches, so if my library doesn’t have a particular title, I can request it be sent to my location to pick up.
My mom’s book group uses the library to reserve multiple copies of our monthly picks. They will make sure that we have as many copies we need at one location for pickup. And it doesn’t matter that our group is not a library run book group!
I love our library! The thing I love is that you can check if the book you want is in and if it’s not, they will call you when it makes it to your library. It’s great to read what you want and maybe what you didn’t think you’d like (I just read biographies on George Strait and Bob Newhart). I need a cool new bag.
Where do I begin?! I love the library. I can remember going to the library as a preschooler. Now that I have 3 (soon 4) children of my own the library is a big part of our lives. When we pull into the parking lot all of my kids get excited and yell. = )
Since Rhode Island is so small, all (almost all) the libraries in the state are connected in one giant online catalog. This allows me far greater options than I’d have in just my local library.
But the best part of the library is that it’s FREE! I’d never be able to buy or borrow from a friend all the books my children and I read. The library expands our reading ability without pinching my budget.
My girls and I love the library! What a great way to try a book outside your usual genre. It’s also a great way to find delightful children’s books. I really need this tote – my kids have been known to take home 8 or 9 books at a time!
I love how you can always find a new book to fall in love with every time you go.
That is so funny, I did a post on the “green” issues dealing with books and the library today too. Great minds think alike. Love the blog by the way! Count me in for the totes, they are so cute!
I would definitely put these to good use!
I love that the library lets me take their books for FREE! I can leave with a huge stack of books and not have to hand over a credit card.
I also love that my library stocks books on tape and that those are also free! I drive a lot for work and listen to them in the car during the day. I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy all of the books on tape that I’ve listened to.
Can I just say that I *heart* my library forever? It is the best small town library ever! You can mail order any book, CD, etc. that they have and it will come directly to your door. Hi, save on the gas to and from the library! Especially with all the trips I would be making!
Plus they have a large inventory and are connected to almost half the libraries in the state so if they don’t have it someone is sure to and you can get it from them!
Double plus, you can request that the buy new books that you want, I’ve done it twice and it is really painless and quite fast. And then you get to be the first reader! How fun is that?!!
Love ’em!
Never fear, this bag would get plenty of use, if not from library books then from grocery shopping and trips to the park and everything else! (and I’m sure we will be visiting the library more as my son gets old enough to pick out his own books!)
I love that I can “try before I buy”. Especially with authors that I’m unfamiliar with — when I buy a book, I want to know that I’m going to like it. The library has saved me a lot of money and a lot of frustration!
I love that it teaches my kiddos responsibility and delayed gratification – we are using these books for awhile and then we return them (in the same condition as when we checked them out). If we really loved one book, we buy it at the store, after a week to think about it.
My kids also like the self-checkout option at our library… like at the grocery store!
Where to start? There are so many things that I love about my local library. My favorite would be it’s online website where I can renew my checked out books and request a hold on a book that I would like to read. It is also so wonderful how they will place that book at which ever library location you desire.
Most importantly though it’s a HUGE money saver…where else can you get books to read for free?!
My library has a request system that you can track online to see what spot you are. I love looking to see how far my name has moved up the list.
I am getting addicted to my canvas/mesh shopping bags too!! My favorite part of the library is the fact that I can go on line, request what I want and they have it waiting for me when I get there!
I love browsing at libraries – it’s like a bookstore but free. Occasionally I go on my own, with an Ipod, and go thru the new fiction section reading the backs of books…what fun!
My favorite parts of the library are definitely the online catalog and interlibrary loan features. Without leaving home I can search for and place holds on books I want for homeschool or personal use. Then the library e-mails me when they are ready to be picked up! It doesn’t get better than that.
My favorite section of the library would have to be new releases. I could be in a library for hours just resding the backs of books.
I love that I can leave with books to borrow instead of buy! I can get books on tape for car trips. And they can get most any book I request with interlibrary loan! What’s not to love…I’ve loved the library since I was a little girl.
I can’t think of anything about the library I don’t like, except maybe having to wait for something!
–I love that they have all of the new releases in books, DVDs, audio books, etc.
–If they don’t have something, I can either request that they buy it (and they have never turned down anything I’ve requested) or I can get it through ILL.
–Everything I need to do can be done by computer, from putting books on hold to renewing, to the library notifying me that a hold has come in.
–We go there so often that every person knows me and gets my holds ready for check-out when they see me coming in the door.
–Fantastic twice yearly sales
I can’t tell you how much money I have saved over the years with the library. It is worth every single tax penny we pay for it.
I love everything about the library – – the quietness, the smell, the way I get inspired to read (and write) just by walking in the door. I love finding tons of good books for me and the kids and stopping on the way out to pick up some good music CDs, too. Another resource I use often: Cookbooks from the library. The library is truly a wealth of great treasures!
Megret
I love the library – all of it 🙂
Right now the best thing the library does for me is keep me from spending money by giving me new things to listen to and read
As my little one gets bigger I’m excited about enrolling her in their programs, especially since we plan to homeschool and I want her to experience other types of learning environments and activities as she is growing up.
What’s not to love about the library? As you said, it is a great green practice because one book can be shared by many. I love that it’s free and I don’t have to pay to be a member. I love that I can get videos and cookbooks there also. I love that I can enjoy the book and then not worry about it cluttering up my bookshelves. I love that they get new releases in and you can get on the wait list and get them. Several times, I’ve been the first to read a new book and there’s something really cool about that 🙂
My favorite part about using the library is the look on my son’s face when we go in. He loves being able to pick from all of the books/DVDs and taking them home. It really is nice to be able to use the library, taxes well spent.
One of my favorite parts of the library is storytime (of course!), but another is self-checkout! No lines, and quick for in-and-out!
My favorite part of using the library is the online reservation system. I never need to look for a book on the shelf! I also love that everything is free.
My favorite part of using the library is being able to read as many books as I want without worrying about cost. 🙂
The think that I like best about the library is that I can use it to check out books ahead of time that I am thinking about purchasing. It saves me money and waste, by not buying something that I would end up not using if it doesn’t meet my needs.
My favorite–everything. Seriously, how can I pick one thing I like best about the library. I love introducing my kids to the joy of reading through the wealth of resources the library offers: a beautiful kids’ room, story times, puppet shows, a summer reading program with fun prizes. I love using it to fulfill all my own reading desires. And lately I’ve been discovering new music I like (and some I don’t) by randomly grabbing a new CD from their large music collection on my way to check out every week.
Yes, I love, love, love the library and just yesterday I was commenting to the library that I need a new library bag because my current one isn’t big enough to hold all our loot every week!
What I love about the library is that the fact I don’t have to purchase some books to read it. I do not have the money to afford so many books, knowing my taste. The library does it for me by letting me borrow the books and I can enjoy it all for free.
I read at least a couple books a week, so if it wasn’t for the library providing free books, I’d hardly read. I also just love our libraries programs that offer for kids, teens & adults. I love my library so much!
One is the memories it brings back. We used to live in the library as children. We were homeschooled and restricted with our TV viewing so books were our world for entertainment. I still remember going to the library, spending (what felt like) hours browsing books and taking them home to enjoy! Ahhh the library, so special.
:–) Nell
I LOVE the library. I spent 45 minutes there today, going through the kids books looking for something for my 5 year old son, taking a trip down memory lane. I’m at the library at least once a week, returning books or taking out new ones. I got a library card shortly after moving here 6 years ago and it has completely halted my buying of books. I bought a few books recently for the first time in years, using a gift card I got for Christmas in 2006.
I also love the inter-library loan, I can get any book in the county.