Why I am a Friend of the Howard County Library

   

     If you have followed this blog you know that I have been a big promoter of our library system.  Being recognized as the top library system in North America doesn't just happen.  It takes a supportive local government and local businesses, dedicated library staff and a strong support from our community of library users.  I became a Friend of the Library a few years ago when I started to calculate how much benefit I get from the library.   I did a quick calculation of how much money I save by not having to buy the books that I read each year.  I read about 2 books a week on average and at about $25 a book I would spend $2,600 a year buying my books.  When you add up all the books my family has borrowed from the library it easily adds up to tens of thousands of dollars over the time we have used the library.
     I know that you might feel that you contribute to the library through your tax dollars and that is a source of funding for the library.  But if you have attended one of the author presentations or had your children participate in one of the A+ events like the Spelling Bee or the Battle of the Books or the Summer Reading Club or the Rube Goldberg Challenge you should know that they were provided through the funds raised by the Friends of the Library.  These are just some of the examples of how our library goes beyond what you traditionally would expect from a library.
     If you agree with me about the importance of our library in our community maybe it is time to become a Friend of the Library.

P.S.
    Let me tell you about some interesting courses you can take free through the library portal from the Gale online courses.  Free online courses are offered in digital photography, website design and genealogy just to name a few.  Check them out.

P.S.
    I was saddened this week to learn of the death of  Tom Magliozzi from NPR's Car Talk. For me Saturday morning has meant listening to Tom and Ray Magliozzi take calls from listeners on car problems. It was nice to learn a little about car problems but what drew most of us to the show was the humorous banter between the two brothers. I knew that they had stopped making new shows a couple of years ago when Tom's Alzheimers Disease became more advanced. Fortunately they had years of taped shows that they rerun even now.
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