you know what? go to your local library.
nobody cares if you just want to read Twitter with the free wifi. in fact we’re ecstatic you’re there.
don’t be afraid to touch the books. hell, taking them off the shelf and leaving them on shelving carts is one of the main ways the library counts usage and foot traffic, so don’t reshelve them yourself and don’t be afraid of looking at them!
most libraries now allow covered drinks, and many have special areas where you’re allowed to bring something to eat. have your lunch there, it’s quiet!
lovely large tables for crafts or art? they have you covered!
magazines and periodicals so you can read the newest events or pick up a new recipe? check!
you can even just watch a DVD if you have the appropriate portable screen and courtesy headphones.
GO to the library. LOVE the library. USE the library. you already paid for it!!
I’ve *literally* been writing most of Family Lore and working on art comissions at the local library.
Things Libraries have that are awesome if you’re a creator:
- Wi-Fi. Really, really good Wi-Fi
- Mine doesn’t just allow covered drinks- it’s got a whole-ass coffee bar.
- “study rooms” you can camp in for free (but you have to move if someone books them) OR that you can book for a couple hours on certain days FOR REALLY CHEAP
- like literally i pay $15 for 3 8-hour days a week and i get my own room, a bigass table, great light, the free wifi, AND I CAN RENT ANY REFERENCE MATERIAL OR ART SUPPLIES I NEED
- OH
- YOU DIDN’T KNOW?
- YOU CAN RENT ALL KINDS OF SHIT FROM YOUR LIBRARY
- FOR FREE
- I RENTED A MANGIFIER, DRATING TOOLS AND A BUNCH OF ORCHID BOOKS FOR A PROJECT
- I RENTED A GODDAMN SEWING MACHINE ONCE
- F O R F R E E
- it’s like all the benefits of renting an office space but for SO MUCH CHEAPER also you CAN GET ALL KINDS OF SUPPLIES
- THEY HAVE A 3-D PRINTER
Things Libraries DON’T have that are ALSO AWESOME if you’re a creator:
- I 100% understand the appeal of woking in coffehouses- they’re spaces that are designed to be comfortable and if you have ADHD like me the background chatter is actually a good stim but there’s also frequently THAT GUY.
- You know, the guy who sees you working and waves at you until you take your headphones off then he wants to tell you all about how He’s A Writer ™ or a Cinematographer ™ working on a novel or whatever and he just sucks up your time talking about himself and then he wants your contact information because he thinks that because you haven’t actually thrown the overpriced coffe in his face he’s sucessfully seduced you?
- That Guy?
- Is NEVER at the Library.
- Because it’s a quiet space so he can’t talk about himself becuase the hyperstressed college students will literally axe-murder him
- Also I forgot in the earlier section but sometimes The Society For Creative Anachronism does events there and there are actual axe-weilding valkyrie women present.
- that’s very distracting
- but in a good way.
- Your local library ALSO does not have that a rented office space, coffeehouse, or your kitchen table does: missionaries, telemarketers, the couple having a loud and messy breakup at the next table, the nagging sensation that you should be doing housework instead, that one jackass that thought the polar vortex was an ideal temperature and adjusts the thermostat accordingly, your cat jumping on table and spilling stuff on your work, crap wifi, Mandatory overpriced coffee, Office Dress Codes, Or a building manager that “forgets” to pay the utilities becuase they’ve been embezzling everyone’s rent to support thier cabbage patch kids addiction.
Libraries be good shit yo.
Tag: Libraries
Me: I need a library card, but I just moved so I don’t have an ID with my address or any mail with it.
Librarian: -slides me a blank library postcard- Write your address on this like it would be mailed to you.
Me: Sure?
Librarian: -takes it back- Great! Now we have mail with your address on it!
Me: …does it really work that way?
Librarian: the rules don’t say it DOESN’T work that way. Here’s your new library card!
Patron: Where are the books for boys?
Me: *gestures to the entire library.*
Patron: Where are the books for girls?
Me: *gestures to the entire library*
The worst excuse I’ve ever heard for gendering books is that, “What if it confuses my kid? What if they grow up gay or trans because I let them read about too many girl/boy things?”
Your son’s first crush might be the rowdiest boy in a story about boys doing “boy things”. Your daughter might want to be with the gentle seamstress who makes the magic cloak, not be her. Your tomboy might be a boy, and he might identify with the protagonist’s science-loving crush, not her.
Your kid is your kid, and they will be who they are meant to be. Give them all the boy/girl books you want, but you can’t control how they’ll feel about them, or what they’ll take away from the story.
As a parent, you can’t iron the world flat to keep your kid from stumbling, but you can absolutely prepare them for the bumps. If they walk an unexpected path, having read more widely will only ease their way, and get them where they need to be.
“As a parent, you can’t iron the world flat to keep your kid from stumbling, but you can absolutely prepare them for the bumps.“