girl, so confusing featuring liz

reasons why you should get a library card

one of the things i preach about way too often is why you should get a library card. in fact, i've taken multiple friends to the library to get their new york library cards 🥺.

anyway, if i haven't already dragged you to the library or given you my spiel, here are all the reasons i think you should get a library card:

  1. you can check out books for free (wow 🤯!) the new york and brooklyn public libraries both let you check out 50 physical books at once.
  2. if you're not a physical book person, you can check out digital books (e-books and audio books) and read them on your phone with the libby app or download them to kindle.
  3. when you place a book on hold, they will deliver the book from any location to your local library! if you live in brooklyn, there's probably one within 10 minutes of your apartment~
  4. fines don't exist! if you're like me and are lazy about returning books on time or aspirationally check out too many at once, don't worry, your fines are forgiven once you eventually return the book.
  5. with any new york library card, you get access to culture pass. culture pass lets you visit new york museums and performance venues once a year for free. many of these also let you book slots with guests.
  6. if you're a musician, you can check out sheet music! the nypl performing arts branch in lincoln center has repertoire for all instruments and ensembles. (i think they let you scan it onsite too!)
  7. if you're a board game lover, the brooklyn public library has a huge collection of board games. whoever is curating the games is super in the know and they seem to always carry the latest trendy games. we've tried out so many new ones because of their collection.
  8. at the brooklyn public library, you can check out musical instruments. i've never tried this before, but isn't that so cool?
  9. if you're planning a class or writing an essay, the new york public library has some really cool research facilities that allow you to request materials and view them onsite. it's pretty magical when you arrive because they basically hand you all the books you requested at once!
  10. you'll also get access to online research databases too. i use these a lot for course planning!

if you were convinced, you can sign up for a BPL or NYPL card online. i promise you i'm not sponsored by the library.

p.s. you don't need a card for this, but did you know that most public libraries have free wifi, great seating, and sometimes a cafe? some of my favorites:

p.p.s.s. did you know that libraries have fancy scanners? they scan the book from the top, so you basically flip the pages to scan everything. https://i.imgur.com/2cOURix.jpeg