How the library became a critical resource for me during COVID

Throughout COVID, so many things have moved to more advanced technology. There are video calls, online ordering, and contact tracing apps that we now rely on. However, one of the most important resources I’ve found in this time goes back in time to my local public library. Though I use the apps for ebooks and managing requests, I actually find browsing the shelves and grabbing physical copies of the books to bring me the most enjoyment. I’m not going to trade in the convenience of my Kindle anytime soon, but these times have brought back my appreciation for paper books and the convenience of the public library.

My appreciation for the library started at an early age. Like so many other elementary school aged kids, I got my first library card early on and was motivated to read by the Pizza Hut reading challenges to earn free pizza and parties for my class. I have no idea if they still do that, but it has to have been a huge entry point to reading for a tremendous number of kids in the 80s and 90s. I have strong memories of visiting the library near our home in the Poconos on a regular basis for books from elementary school all the way up to research projects in high school. The musty smell of the pages still brings a visceral reaction to me and surfaces memories of digging through the shelves there.

Through college, I still frequented the school library, but mostly as a place for quiet study and getting work done, as well as for the best café on campus, rather than to explore books there. As more and more books became available online as digital versions, and the price of used books dropped with Half.com and other sites, I ended up owning a much greater percentage of the books I read. After college I maintained a card for our town, but didn’t use it much as more and more of my reading shifted to Kindle books.

I still enjoy reading on the Kindle for sure, especially for the ease of use, the ability to make even huge books feel like small paperbacks in the hand, waterproofing, and the light which is perfect since I do most of my reading at night before bed. But there’s something wonderful about feeling the pages as you read, and especially with the tangible feeling of accomplishment you get as you turn page after page. But I personally don’t tend to re-read books all that often, so owning paper versions for myself made no sense as I would either just stockpile them in the basement or try to resell them online. It felt wasteful and wasn’t a great use of time or money.

Before the pandemic, I did start relying more and more on the library for ebook rentals that I could still check out and read on my Kindle. I was able to find a decent selection online and always had another interesting book to read from their catalog and suggestions. However, many of the books I specifically wanted to read based on recommendations and lists online weren’t available. As my reading increased during the pandemic, I started to run pretty low on books that were available and of interest, and I was finding longer and longer wait times as others also started reading more and discovering the library resources.

That’s when I rediscovered the actual library. Though they were still closed inside, it was possible to make holds and pickup curbside fairly early on in the pandemic. Thanks to the network of libraries that share collections across Northern NJ, I’ve found just about every book I wanted to read no matter how obscure. Rather than just a slice of the bestsellers and some minimal deeper catalog, it seems like just about every book that’s published is available with a reasonable wait across the library system.

Now that we’ve moved, we’re only three minutes from the library instead of ten, so it’s much more convenient to go pick up and return our books. We’ve even managed to get the whole family into it as the kids love visits there because they get to pick out a couple books to read before bedtime and even get to choose for their little brother. Our library just reopened its doors too, so they can browse the kids’ section shelves until they find something that strikes their interest. Thanks to the great organization and curation by the staff, we are always able to find something age appropriate for them as well. Even when they pick something a bit over their age range, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by their ability to stay interested and grasp concepts I didn’t know they understood. We’re finding these visits to the library and enhancing and encouraging the love for reading we’ve tried to instill in them since their early days.

Even better, the use of libraries rather than buying a copy of a book that just sits means reuse of a resource and less impact on the planet. It makes me feel better about reading something I know I’ll only read once, or things that are only available in massive hardcovered copies. Others will also be able to use the same copy of the book and I still get the benefits of reading. It also allows us to teach our kids positive lessons about reuse and sharing with others. It’s all around good vibes from the use of libraries.

I would say that my love for libraries never really went away, but it certainly waned for a few years while I didn’t make regular use of them and relied on my own copies of books. The pandemic has brought me back to our local library and I’m discovering more books as a result. Though I tend to reserve books I want in advance, the ability to browse and discover books I wouldn’t see otherwise is another great benefit of the library over online browsing of books. Though it may have taken a few years, I’ve come back full circle to frequent visits to my library. I just wish I could still earn a pizza party for my voracious reading.