I’m sitting here in Victoria marvelling that we no longer have to wear masks indoors. The streets are full of more cars than I’ve seen in a long time…possibly since the pandemic began. So as I ponder our return to a post-covid life, I thought it could be time to reacquaint us all with our local libraries.

NB: I’m in a regional city in Victoria, Australia called Geelong so I will be referring to our local libraries Geelong Regional Libraries but look up your local library and I’m sure there will be similar offerings.

Modern libraries are a far cry from the musty silent institutions I remember from my youth. They are vibrant multifunctional spaces equipped to support their patrons thrive in our high tech, potentially socially isolating era. There is something for everybody, from cradle to grave, and they even let you EAT and DRINK inside them now! In fact, our inner city library has a coffee shop attached.

But some things haven’t changed. The library is still FREE to use. Even if you don’t have a library card (I would 100% recommend getting one - just go up to one of the desks and ask), you can walk into any library and browse and read to your heart’s content. As for the things you can read…

Reading Material

Traditionally books were the core business of libraries and they are still central to modern libraries but have you ever really thought about what reading material is available other than fiction books?

• Cookbooks - Stuck in a cooking rut? Want to go vegan? Have been diagnosed Coeliac? You will find a cook book on the shelf to point you in the right direction

• Parenting books - We all need a little help to guide us on the wild ride called parenting. Your local library can help.

• Biographies - Off to see Foo Fighters this Friday in Geelong? Read Dave Grohl’s autobiography before you go while you listen to album after album to get you in the mood.

• Computing - From computer basics through to writing code, there are books that can teach you any new computing technology so you can keep up with the youth of today

• Magazine - Libraries have subscriptions to all sorts of popular magazines from Better Homes and Gardens to Choice to New Scientists. You can’t borrow the latest copy but you can read it in the library.

• Newspapers - Head in every morning with your coffee and comfy slippers and sit down to read the paper. Sounds like a great routine to me.

As if all that isn’t good enough, if the library doesn’t have a book you’d like to read, you can make a suggestion for purchase, or request an inter-library loan from many libraries around Australia. Magic, right?

If all this hasn’t made you fall in love with your local library all over again, follow along on my next blog post while I wax lyrical about all the other amazing features of the library.

What do you love most about your local library? Comment below.