It’s easy to forget about the library. The library isn’t offended. It knows you buy your physical copies of books at your local indie bookstore. It knows there is nothing easier than the “One Click Buy” button for your Kindle. But it would also like to remind you, maybe with a polite throat clearing, that the library is still here. Waiting. With books and also more than books.  

 

Here are ten ways to use the library you might not have thought of just yet.  

 

  1. Place a hold on almost any material and have it delivered to a library branch of your choice. The limit is 99 items out at once which is more items than anyone needs at any point in time anyway!  
  2. Access the library of instructional videos—covering business, technical and creative skills, there are more than 3,000 courses with 129,942 video tutorials.  
  3. Learn a new language using Mango Languages, a language-learning software with over 70 world language courses and over 17 ESL/ELL courses.  
  4. View old pictures of Charlotte neighborhoods at The Carolina Room at the Main Library or at The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story, the library’s local history and genealogy website.  
  5. For those who qualify, you can request Outreach Services which bring the library experience to a person who is home-bound, in senior housing, within correctional facilities, living with disabilities, living in transition, or new to this country.  
  6. Read digital versions of current magazines. There are hundreds of magazines to view on your computer, tablet or smart phone through library services. Just ask your nearest friendly librarian.  
  7. Download five free songs a week!  
  8. Visit the “Idea Box.” Located on the first floor of the Main Library, the Idea Box has 3D printers, sewing machines, laser & vinyl cutters, knitting machines, and more. 
  9. Attend free classes. Charlotte Libraries offer more than 22,000 programs open to the public. Topics include: job skills, how to download items from the library’s collection to an e-reader or smart device, etc.  
  10. Have a quiet moment in any of the reading rooms, surrounded by the smell of old books and magic 😉   

 

Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21