Library or Book Store?

Pretty simple question. Which do you prefer, and why?

In theory, I love libraries. I mean, who can argue with free books?! Greatest concept ever. (I guess you might not like the idea of giving them back though...) But in practice I have to say book store because my local library is made of SUCK and doesn't have anything (not anything good, anything period! Stupid stupid tiny library) so I have to go to Barnes and Noble and spend all my money on books. (I would go to my local used book store, but they don't have much either. Grrr. Arizona is obviously not a reading state.)

Tags: and, barnes, book, good, library, noble, read, store, yay

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nahida on July 16, 2008 at 10:34pm: LOL i love how you put "yay" as a tag.

this is tough. i'd say library because ...well, free books. But when I read one I want to keep, bookstores are a great invention.

Permalink Reply by Chip, A Former Ningmaster on July 16, 2008 at 10:58pm: Haha I was wondering if anyone would notice that. Maybe I'm the only one who DOESN'T read tags?

Permalink Reply by Tarren on July 16, 2008 at 10:43pm: I prefer book stores also. I very between Barnes and Nobles or Borders (I think Borders has a better music selection). I also buy from Amazon.com a fair amount as well. I would actually like to get a Kindle from Amazon.com since I really can appreciate the idea of a greener way to read books, I also think that saving storage space would be nice as well. The original cost of a Kindle is more then I can afford though. In the long run, I am sure it would save me money, but to be able to spend that original cost is not something I can do easily.

I am sure in time that there will be less expensive versions of the Kindle, and I can get one then. I am not sure how it will actually compare to the tactile feel of a book in my hands though, and the comfort of having books in my house that I can share and that also make a statement about me when people see my place. Is that weird?

Permalink Reply by Chip, A Former Ningmaster on July 16, 2008 at 11:03pm: The Kindle's really cool, but it just seems to suck the money out of you. First the original output (Do they think we book nerds are made of money or something?!) but then you STILL have to pay $10 a book (obviously that's cheaper than buying the book regularly, but buy a few books and you're already going broke a second time).

Not to mention I'm not sure I could get used to not holding a book while I read it. I stare at the computer & TV screens enough as it is, I don't think I should be looking at MORE screens. My eyes suck enough already.

Besides, I've grown up surrounded by giant bookshelves full of books. What would life be like without them?!

Permalink Reply by Luna on July 16, 2008 at 10:44pm: I love visiting liabraries...especially at universities, it just feels magical to me to be surrounding by an astronomical amount of books. But I like bookstores better just because I'm selfish and want my own book :)

Permalink Reply by Chip, A Former Ningmaster on July 16, 2008 at 10:59pm: I don't think I've ever been inside a university library... which is really sad since I live in a college town. Whenever the library comes up I imagine something like the library in Beauty and the Beast. XD

Permalink Reply by Let'sNameHerSarah on February 1, 2009 at 2:33pm: I've ALWAYS wanted a Beauty and The Beast library.

Permalink Reply by Meri on July 16, 2008 at 11:06pm: It depends. I love reading in a library but even though mine is huge, it pretty much has the same books as it did when I was 5. I've practically read all of the young adult books they have (and a bunch are mine that were donated)!

Permalink Reply by Kate on July 18, 2008 at 12:52pm: That's exactly my problem! Now I have to rely on ILL (inter-library loan) to get books, which means I have to wait about 5 days to get any new books. Besides, I live in Small Town, America, so any book stores are half an hour away, and any non-conglomerate book stores are at least an hour.

Permalink Reply by Lauren on July 16, 2008 at 11:09pm: I like book stores because I reread books more often than I probably should. (: And because my library is made of suck too. There aren't many book stores around me besides Barnes and Noble either...so I spend all my money on books too. D: Hopefully I'm getting a job there come the fall, so yay for employee discounts! (:

Permalink Reply by zoealea on July 16, 2008 at 11:09pm: I prefer libraries, but if I check out a book I like I will buy it because if I but a book I don't like I'm stuck with it. The one down side going to the library is the fact that some don't have the newest books or a wide variety of the genre you prefer (My towns public library).

Permalink Reply by Kaye on July 16, 2008 at 11:35pm: I have worked at both libraries and bookstores, and I have to say that working at a library is much much better. Easier to sneak off and read while pretending to do something else (shelve books, check the Dewey Decimal System, etc.). Retail is still retail, even if you're surrounded by books.

If you think your library is made of suck -- maybe you haven't taken advantage of all its resources. In our town, while each local branch may be somewhat limited in selection, you can browse the entire county's catalog online and request any book in the county. There is often a wait for more popular books, but I just request a bunch and read them as they become available (kind of like a free Netflix for books -- speaking of which, the library also has an astounding amount of free videos as well, often the same ones as in the video stores -- you just never see them because they're always checked out -- again, reserve, reserve, reserve).

You can also just plain ask a librarian if they'd consider ordering particular books you'd like, or particular authors or genres. Librarians love that. Librarians are generally pretty cool, and get all happy when people ask for more books.

I wasn't sure when I started this post, but it looks like I prefer libraries. What do you know?