Entertainment at the library

The economic downturn started in the United States back in February of 2008. It then started in earnest in August of that year, and since then, Americans have been found more and more frequently in one particular place: at the library.

No longer a memory from elementary school or Judy Blume books, the library has reclaimed its place in American society as a gathering spot, knowledge center, and entertainment hub. You can find more than books at the library - you can find movies (DVD, VHS, and some libraries are even beginning to offer online downloads), magazines, book clubs, board games... and it's all free, provided you avoid the scourge of late charges!

My local library branch is one of the places I most enjoy in the neighborhood. I'm lucky because it's easy walking distance - just a few blocks from my house - so I can get there early, sip a cup of coffee and read the New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal, or any number of newspapers and magazines from around the world.

There's also internet access at the library, which is a life-saver occasionally. A few years back ConEd (The Consolidated Edison Company - New York City's energy provider which has a monopoly on the city's electricity... don't get me started) accidentally cut some wires in the neighborhood, depriving us of internet and cable TV access. As you can imagine, this was a crisis of near-epic proportions.

Luckily, the library's cables were on a different grid, so when it came time to have to check email, send out resumes, or whatever the task, it was just a simple walk to get it all done. And unlike coffee shops or laundromats, at the library internet access is free. Just make sure you don't act like a jerk and hog a computer for hours at a time - there are other patrons there as well.

The one negative I have to say about the library is that it turns into romper room once school lets out. I guess I'm a bit of a grouchy old man to think that way, and should instead be happy that there are kids out there who do more than text message each other and play video games, but in my experience if you put more than two children in any setting, there will be screaming in under five minutes. And their voices are like ice picks, designed by millions of years of evolution to burrow directly into the skull.

Ok, so I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. I admit it. But even with the scourge of children running under foot, the library is still the place to be. Save some money, save some trees, and enjoy.

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