I have extremely fond memories of visiting libraries.

From flirting with the cool dude at the school library to spending weeks-upon-weeks looking up old newspaper stories on the library’s digital files while researching for a book, to now joining my local library today.

Today, I proudly dragged the Pom into the local library for three reasons –

1)      We are currently budgeting like crazy for our home renovations and I can’t get my fix for recipe books, home décor and gardening magazines, like I used to. Apparently, we are mature now and have to reserve money for responsible things like, I don’t know, a bath or shutters. So now, the library is my thrifty replacement for newsagencies and book stores.

2)      I am constantly worried that if people don’t use libraries that they will close and we will lose them. So much so, that when I see someone going into a library I almost stand up applaud them. I figure it’s a numbers game like everything else in government and decided they can add two more votes today towards keeping the local neighbourhood libraries open.

3)      I love the creativity visiting the library evokes in me. I love walking up and down the aisles and picking anything up that takes my fancy. When I’m in a bookshop and it’s connected to me opening my purse, I’m incredibly choosey. I won’t follow a whim or a fancy. I will only buy what I exactly need or must have. At a library, if an old book sparks my interest or a random architecture journal jumps out of me, I’ll pick it up and take it out. Why not? It’s the beauty of libraries. The unbridled sense of freedom to pursue knowledge.

The beauty of today’s libraries (aside from the great range of DVDs and CDs of this actual era – definitely didn’t have that when I was at school or at uni!) is that they are electronically switched on.

As part of my membership today, I can logon to my library account and borrow e-books, audiobooks and music. And yes before you ask, I do mean borrow as they get taken off my device after 28 days – just like a book!

Other great cool things are their schedule of events. Our librarian was telling us about the cheese making workshop they are holding in a few weeks and was also telling us about the library’s online database, which has millions of articles and online information about any topic that sparks your fancy.

And if you want the old moth ball smell and books with spines older than your granny, than they still have that too.

If you feel I am doing the PR for libraries, good. I make no secret that I’m on a mission to get those numbers up. I am asking you all to go and join or revisit your local library because as I said, it’s a numbers game.

If you don’t, it will be too late and the day you do decide to visit it will be replaced with another shopping centre or God-forbid, a Bunnings.