How can that be? Many personal finance bloggers, including myself, LOVE the library. Getting a library card and using it to borrow, rather than buy books is a great way to save money. Books aren’t cheap. In my honest opinion, they’re pretty darn expensive. Especially the hardcover books. It boggles my mind that people will buy books just have on display on the coffee table. I never understood the coffee table book concept.
Books are meant to be read! And smelled. Oh, how I LOVE the smell of books.
Unless it’s a reference book or a cookbook, I will only read it once. Then it makes it way over to a shelf in the office, only to display its title on the spine and almost never to be taken out again. Unless we decided to move.
The library gives you access to numerous books, magazines, DVDs and cds for free. They’re free as long as you return them on time. If you don’t, you get fined. Unless your library is intuitive enough to send reminder emails or provide a reminder app for your phone (mine used to, but for some reason doesn’t do it anymore), it’s quite easy to forget about when your library books are due.
Despite being fairly organized, I am quite careless when it comes to keeping track of when my library books are due. I have an online account with my local library, but unlike my bank account, I do not check it every single day. Thus, I forget when my books are due and by the time I remember, I have already accumulated a significant amount in fines. My largest fee was probably somewhere over five bucks.
Generally speaking, five bucks is not a lot. However, it’s a lot for overdue library books and could have easily been avoided if I was more diligent with due dates. Going forward I should treat it as a potential bill and hence I should return it on or before its due date to avoid actually paying the bill.
If your desired book is not available you can place a hold on it. If the book is very popular, most likely the library will have several copies, but don’t be surprised if all the copies are in use and there are fifty hold requests prior to yours. You can be waiting a very, very, long time for that book.
Patience really is a virtue when it comes to library book holds. This is why I request a whole bunch of books at once, with the hopes that at least one will become available soon enough.
Since libraries have a limited number of copies of items you can borrow, you are allotted only a certain amount of time to read, watch or listen to that item. With fast lane books, the ones that are REALLY HIGH in demand, you are only allotted a week to read. Higher fines. NO renewals. Talk about strict rules.
I consider myself to be a pretty fast reader and have been able to go through a book within a week or less. However, sometimes work gets busy. Heck, life gets busy. Sometimes one week is just not enough time to read a book! I almost feel pressured to read the book at an even faster rate than I am reading it, just to avoid that higher fine. Then I end up feeling I never really read the book properly and have to wait until it becomes available again.
Again, my patience is tested.
I propose to extend the borrowing time of the high demand books to 10 days instead. Even one more day would make a difference.
Has the library cost you money at all or has it saved you money for the most part?
About the Author:
Karen lives in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). By day, she’s a public servant and by night, she is motivating people in group exercise classes. Karen blogs about personal finance, travel, life and everything in between at MakintheBacon. You can follow her on Twitter @MakintheBacon1. When she’s not blogging, she’s most likely baking, biking, planning her next trip, reading, or obsessing over her finances.
Our small town library has access to Overdrive which links to all of the libraries in the state. You can borrow books, audio books and videos for a period of up to 3 weeks (you have three choices, you choose the term). You are limited to 5 selections. I used to spend a ton of money on audio books because I travel with my work however now I borrow audio books from the library. Love it! and no boogers =)
Access to all of the knowledge of the entire human race, for free
What’s not to like?
Jeremy recently posted…How Tim Ferriss Helped Me Retire in My 30’s, Lose 17 Pounds, & Cook Like a Pro
Interesting perspective. I really have no complaints about the waiting time for books and DVDs, nor the limited checkout time (we get 3 weeks no matter what at our library, even if it’s high demand). I think the library is a great resource and honestly it is what it is. You have access to free content and don’t have to spend money on buying books and DVDs unless it’s one you know you want to keep.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted…How to Make Money on your Social Media Accounts + $200 Cash Giveaway
Love me some good library books! If I like it and read it more than once, it can be a book I buy, I think that’s what saves me the most money. If I do get a library fine, I simply tell myself I’m making a donation for all these great books I read and feel much better about it;)
Even Steven recently posted…What’s Your Best #MoneySavingWeek
I am thankful that I am still a student so I have access to all books I can think of. However, our alumni still have access to library but they couldn’t bring it home. At least, they can get to read books they want.
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank recently posted…Are you worth more Dead than Alive?
The university library is definitely a good resource to have access too. They have a different selection of books. I probably have access to mine, but the university I went to is an hour from where I live now.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
I do like owning books. There is something very appealing to me about a home library. We have not really accumulated one, but some day . . . I can’t decide if that’s a silly longing, based on a false value, or a worthy goal.
As for public libraries, I enjoy being in them, but I’m bad with remembering due dates.
Prudence Debtfree recently posted…Debt Repayment & Impatience: Time for Big Girl Panties
I hear ya on the personal library. Ours is quite small. I guess my dream home would have a huge library with floor to ceiling shelves and big comfy leather couches. And a globe. I feel like every library should have a globe.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
My library has a special set for new releases. They have a 1 week return period, but you can’t reserve them. Then they have other copies of the book with a hold list. (I was 300+ in line for a book once!) They call it the “Lucky You!” program, because you have to be lucky enough to get to the book before someone else checks it out!
I get nearly all my books and movies from the library. The selection is excellent. The more I learn about other libraries, the more I realize my library is pretty freakin’ sweet. They send email reminders 3 days before an item is due. I’ve used the library extensively for the last 5 years and haven’t had a single fine!
Kate@GoodnightDebt recently posted…Debt doesn’t have to be Forever
I tend to put a large number of holds on books (around 5 and up). That way, I figure at least one book will become available soon enough. It’s always a nice surprise when a few are available at the same time.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
I LOVE my local library. I also love owning books. Over the years, I’ve discovered the perfect balance when it comes to books: I borrow from the library first and if I think I’ll re-read it, I buy it for my collection.
I’m one of those odd creatures who regularly re-reads favourite books. Re-reading some books has become an annual ritual. I think that means I need to get out more!
My library sends an sms when the book is due for return. And, that’s saved me a number of times. However, on those occasions when I have been fined, I view it as a donation to one of my favourite institutions – that helps take the sting out it.
diane @smartmoneysimplelife recently posted…Avoid Food Waste to Save Money
You raise a good point about thinking that the fine is a donation. Just this week, I gave my library a $2 one. There has been the one odd time where my local library got a $7 donation from me. Huge for a library fine, small for a donation. Haha.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
Okay, I reread my comment and it read weird. I’ll get straight to the point. Sometimes it seems like there are boogers on the pages. There! I said it! :\
kay ~ lifestylevoices.com recently posted…Extreme Minimalism ~ A Love Story 🙂
Bahahahahaha!
Kay, I got a serious case of the giggles reading your comments : )
Prudence Debtfree recently posted…Debt Repayment & Impatience: Time for Big Girl Panties
Ha! Emily beat me to the punch! 🙂
Personally I don’t like libraries because of a lot of the reasons in the post and in the comments. I truly think that some people read library books in the bathroom, YUCK, and there are sometimes questionable things in there, like perhaps from the nasal area.
I’ll buy instead. 😛
kay ~ lifestylevoices.com recently posted…Extreme Minimalism ~ A Love Story 🙂
Hahaaha. Now that’s what I’ll think about next time I pick up a book at the library. I thought people had their own specific books and magazines for the bathroom. Aren’t they known as bathroom readers? I guess I don’t spend that long enough in the bathroom for 1 or 2 to actually need to read a book. Lol.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
I used to buy every book I wanted to read. Now I have such a huge amount of books that I’m trying to read only ones I already have (as I have a lot that I own and haven’t ever read). I’m probably not going to keep a lot of them once they’re read and from now on I’m going to use my library and trade with friends instead of buying every book.
Kayla @ Femme Frugality recently posted…How We’ve Cut Our Expenses by $4,380/Year
Trading books with friends sounds like a good idea. One of my good friends tends to buy her books from Costco, I believe.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
I like buying some books as I often re-read them. Just over the holidays, I re-read 3 books. My wife also likes to read books from my collection so it is good to have some books handy. I also try to do online surveys to get Amazon gift cards for my Kindle, which cuts down on the clutter and book expenses in general.
Other than the lack of some books at the library, I also dislike the condition many of the library books are in. I have high respect for books and many of the ones I have had for decades are in near mint condition because I like taking care of them, but lots of other readers have a different attitude.
Young Millennial recently posted…On “The Innovators” and Daily Improvements
My fiance is not big on reading at all, which I’m fine with though. I’m not sure I could read from a Kindle. I think I prefer the feel of actually turning pages in a book. I love when people see the cover of my book and ask how is it so far? Although I guess you could still do the same with a Kindle…I’m kind of old school like that.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
I frequent the library less often than I ought since I find the branch near me often doesn’t have the books I want to read readily available and I’m way too impatient to request a copy to be delivered and come back. However, our library has definitely saved me money, as I’ve used a few times now to score free museum passes and the like, available to city residents.
Free museum passes?!?! That’s super cool. I should check out what my library is offering. I tend to pick up my holds from the library when I’m out and about doing errands so it’s not out of the way for me.
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
(mine used to, but for some reason doesn’t do it anymore): The library in Ottawa had an issue this year that revenues were down because people were getting their reminders on their phones and either returning books on time or renewing before they were due. It made it to the papers. The library probably wants you to forget!
Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom recently posted…Can We Stick to a Budget? Our January Spending Update
Haha! You’re probably right!
Karen recently posted…Drawbacks to Using the Library
When I first check out my library books I enter the due date into my phone. I choose the alarm setting to notify me a day before the are due to avoid the late return fee. So far it has been working. Also my public library sends email notifications a few days before the due date.