Thing 5

I have always been a regular user of my public library. As a voracious reader, it is impossible to buy all the books I read. Without the public library, I would have developed into a very different person. The access I had to buildings full of books helped me to develop many academic skills as well as opinions on a wide variety of topics.

I grew up using Hennepin County libraries. This library system is considered one of the best in the nation. It has quiet study rooms, a teen section, tons of computers (including classes on how to use them), books, magazines, DVDs, books on CDs, downloadable books (audio and text), downloadable movies...comfy chairs and well lit reading areas. My library (the Brookdale library) has a large children's section as well as a teen section.

One of the librarians wanted to add a drive through section when they remodeled. You could order your book online and pick it up at the drive thru service. She thought it would be great for moms with young children. They wouldn't have to take the kids out of the car seats to get their books. Unfortunately, the architect in charge of their remodel could not figure out how to do that with the physical limitations of the building.

Since I signed up for online notification of overdues, I have almost never had an over due book. I love love love my neighborhood library.

Professionally, I have used the library to supplement our collection. I have a link to the Mpls library and the Hennepin libraries on the web page and on my bookmarks. I can help students find out where they can find the books they need, if we don't have them.

I have also used the ask a librarian chat. If I can't find information that I need or a student needs, I have had really good luck with the ask a librarian feature on the hennepin county web page.

MN LINK I was looking for a book on a health topic at my local library. I couldn't find anything. I tried MN Link and had 15 books to choose from. The book that looked the best is at the Duluth library. They are going to send it to my local library. How cool is that.

One of the questions posed by the blog is will timing be an issue for using MNLink. For most student projects it probably will, because frequently student is another word for procrastinator. However, in my search, I found some online electronic resources. So sometimes a student could get lucky and be able to download that electronic text immediately.