If you follow me or The Tiny Bookstore on social media, you may have noticed that I like and share posts by local libraries. A follower who was curious and amused by a bookstore promoting libraries asked me why I was sharing content from my competitor. The answer is pretty straightforward: I don’t see the library as my competition and even if it was my competition, I would still promote them as much as possible.
Reasons I love my library
#1: The mission of The Tiny Bookstore
One of the primary missions of The Tiny Bookstore is to share the love of reading and learning with the community. And libraries are our partners in that mission.
#2: I love a good deal and you can’t beat free
I own a bookstore and I don’t even buy everything I want to read. I believe that there are books you keep, books you share, and books you borrow. And being able to download a free ebook from the comfort of your own home? Some libraries give you free access to paywalled newspapers and magazines and to services like Scholastic Printables. Genealogy really isn’t my thing, but they have resources to help you with that, too.
#3: Libraries help keep the community educated and prepared for civic engagement
A well-educated citizenry is one of the fundamental parts of a well-functioning society. If we get to the point where people can’t access reliable information is limited to people who can afford it, then we’re in trouble. Well, more trouble.
#4: The library has been my happy place since I was a child
When I was little, I loved going to the library and picking out as many books as my older brother and I could carry. Every single type of book I could think of was right there.
#5: ….Did I mention that the books are free?
I really can’t overstate how awesome it is that you can walk into a library and borrow just about any book you can imagine for free.
