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I have been an avid reader since I first learned how to read. When I was in the trucking business I had to buy books because of the potential cost of library fines. However when I got off the road my first stop was at the local library here in Lincoln to get a library card. We are very lucky in Lincoln with our city library system plus having access to the University of Nebraska's system and several other college collections. In addition to a fantastic selection of books the Lincoln system has an extensive collection of audio and video available with a FREE library card. If I had to buy all the books, music CD's and audio books I get for free from the library I would have to win a large Powerball Jackpot!
How do those of you who live in smaller communities accommodate your reading and music listening habits when there isn't a good library close by? When I was on the road I did a lot of book trading with the waitresses in various Truck Stops around the country. Swapping books and audio tapes with other drivers was also a good source of new material. A few minutes on the CB radio was all it usually took to find another driver with a book he would swap. The problem was; are they headed in the same direction?
What kind of solutions have those of you who are on a limited budget and living in a area with no access to libraries come up with?
How about shopping at yard sales or some libraries have book sales. I have helped with our library book sale and they charged $5 to fill up an entire huge bag. I know the closest library is 2 hours from you, so that might not work for you . How about Craigs List? I have given away boxes of books on there?
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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
The easiest thing to do is to sign up for Books online. It maybe harder to read them on line or cost a mint to print them but it is one way to get them. It was what my son did when he was stuck on Kodiak, AK in the Coast Guard.
A lot of rural libraries carry e-books, which can be read on the computer (or a PDA) using various types of software. Usually there is also an inter-library loan program, so that the small library closest to you can get books from other libraries as well. Also larger libraries often do "Book Mobile" outreach.
I bought a Kindle (an e-ink electronics book reader from Amazon), and have 4-5 places I can buy ebooks plus a gazillion places I can get free books (legally - these are out-of-copyright books and public domain).
Good suggestion PNW. Although our small library no longer carries e-books, I have a card at the nearby city library that does. In most states, you can get access to e-books from another library once you get a card there.
I'm also interested in the Kindle but I think I'll wait another year or two in hopes that the price will come down.
When I lived in Kodiak, there was the public library, the base library, the college library, several thrift shops for used books, a used book rack in the public library, paperback exchanges in several bars and coffee shops, annual sales of items pulled from the shelves of each library, and garage sales, a book store, and several other stores carrying new book racks. The problem wasn't getting books, it was finding the time to read them all!
Now I use the talking book and braille library and tapes come by mail. I also have friends who send me audio books, and I buy used tapes/CDs on line. There are also sites where entire books are free to read [and I can adjust the font size to actually READ them], and several swap sites that include audio books as well.
As for music, if there is a particular song by a particular singer I want to hear, YouTube probably has it. But I also have a fairly extensive collection of CDs, tapes, and records.
Last edited by karibear; 08-24-2008 at 12:37 PM..
Reason: typos
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. How about Craigs List? I have given away boxes of books on there?
Library far away
