Self-Care Sunday
There's more to a library than just books
This is the latest in my occasional series on the importance of engaging in some self-care in order to help you deal better with the fight against worldwide authoritarianism and fascism.
People all over the world have an amazing asset that they can access for free. This asset is paid for with their taxes so there is no worries about paying any kind of membership or admission fees.
It’s called a library. Yes, I know that some of you reading this may think I’m lame for including this as a part of self-care but it is a very valuable resource. Some of you of a certain age who haven’t set foot in a library in many years may think that a library only has books. But there’s more to a modern public library than just books. They provide all kinds of things, some of which you can even access online.
Yes, you can still borrow books from the library, including a variety of self-help and self-care books. But the library also offers other things besides books. Here is a shortlist of what my local public library offers:
Free Wi-Fi, which is a godsend for people who can’t afford their own internet setup at home.
Use the library computers to do things ranging from writing a report in Microsoft Word to printing a scanned photograph.
There are certain online learning platforms that normally charge a subscription fee to the general public but you can access them through your library’s website for free. (You only need a current library card.) The online learning platforms that my local library provides free access to include popular ones like LinkedIn Learning (for business and technical) and Mango Languages (for learning a foreign language).
Stream certain movies and TV series for free on Kanopy.
Get unlimited access to certain newspapers with paywalls for a few days, such as The New York Times.
Help with resume writing and job searching.
A library is great for extreme weather. If it’s too hot outside in the summer and you don’t have air conditioning, you can go to the library to cool off for a few hours. If it’s too cold in the winter and you’re trying to conserve your heating bill, you can go to the library to warm up.
I’m just scraping the surface with what my local public library offers. I could go on and on with the numerous other services and amenities that my library offers. Other public library systems may offer more or fewer services than what my public library offers so your mileage may vary. But it’s pretty nice to be able to go to the library and just relax for an hour or two, especially if things get too stressful with what is going on in the world today.
There was a time when wealthy people like Enoch Pratt and Andrew Carnegie used their own wealth to build libraries as a sort of a noblesse oblige to local communities. They felt that a library was a necessity for the average citizens and the community that they resided in. Unfortunately there are a number of right-wing extremists who consider the public library to be such a horrible threat to their ideals and beliefs that they are waging war against the idea of a public library system. There have been attempted funding cuts, censorship of certain books, and even threats against library workers. If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area that is largely free from such extremists, consider yourself lucky but don’t get too complacent because one day it could happen to you. If you live in an area that’s full of extremists who are hostile to libraries, the only thing I can suggest is to organize against these people. If any of them are politicians who are up for reelection, vote them out in November.
In the meantime, support your local public library and visit one as often as you can. Your mind will be put at ease when you go to a library.
By the way, I wrote this post while I was at the local public library that’s located nearest to my home.
Other Self-Care Sunday Tips
Contact current friends and make new ones.
Step away from social media for a few hours.
Cultivate a sense of humor and laugh.
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