Autumn Distraction #2: Library Books

The first book I borrowed from the San Diego Public Library system. So far, it's been an excellent pick!

Books have always been my biggest love. When I saw Beauty and the Beast as a kid, my most vivid memory of the movie was the Beast's library. I wanted those books. I was jealous of Belle for having unlimited access to that library. The fact that the entire scenario was a cartoon and fictional was irrelevant. (Actually, I'm still a bit jealous of her. How awesome would it be to own dishes that can wash themselves?)

Ever since then I've been assembling my own library. I've bought fiction, non-fiction, instructional books, coffee table books, textbooks... Everything from Harry Potter and biographies of Mark Twain, to writing style manuals and illustrated Renaissance art volumes. (My interests are varied, to say the least.)

Due to guilt and dwindling bank accounts, I've cut way back on my book buying habit. The guilt comes from my environmental streak (Printing new books uses a lot of resources), and the fact that I own books that I've never read. While I've been making a valiant effort at reading books I've already purchased, sometimes I'm in the mood for something different.

How to remedy this? Easy: get a library card. In less than 30 minutes I printed an application from the internet, filled it out, drove to my local branch, and received my first San Diego Public Libraries card. I've since mastered their online catalog, and figured out how to put books on hold. I'm even loving their three week due dates: Long, vaguely defined deadlines cause me to procrastinate. Tell me I have less than a month to read something, and I'll have it done in two weeks flat.

So thus far, my experience with San Diego's libraries has been a positive one. But we'll see how I feel the first time I pay an overdue fine.