I have been shocked to learn how many adults in my community don't have a library card. There is this odd assumption that libraries are great when you're a kid, but there's not much to offer to the busy adult.

Besides the fact that I think reading is an absolutely necessary part of exercising our gift of mind, libraries have grown well beyond the place that holds some books.

Here is just a sampling of the unconventional ways my own library system benefits adults.

1 Databases galore

JSTOR is back in my life, y'all! Many libraries subscribe to databases and online resources that are a hidden gold mine. Our library system includes databases of professional dance performances, the National Geographic library back to 1888, and Theater in Video.

2 Museum and performance passes

Free or heavily discounted passes to museums and performances are becoming a more common library offering. We've been to the California Academy of Sciences, Lawrence Hall of Science, and Oakland Museum of California for free when we lived in the Bay Area. Our library in Minnesota includes passes to local theaters, symphony, nature sites, and museums. These are often for 2 people so you can bring a friend!

3 Scripts and scores

Sorting for Printed Music gives me over 50,000 music scores in my immediate county library system alone. They're not just musicals and classical pieces - Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, and Fleetwood Mac are in there too. Practicing your instrument (or learning one) just got a lot more appealing.
Scripts are a common find too. They include play scripts, screen plays, and radio plays. No need to wait for your local theaters to finally put on a play you've been wanting to see! Yes, it's not the same as a staged version, but reading plays is another wonderful way to tap into the legacy of storytelling.

4 Craft classes

I can learn a lot from YouTube, but Youtube can't look at my work, troubleshoot it, and give me the materials - all for free. In the past year I've learned needle felting and crochet via free library craft classes. Jewelry making, ribbon embroidery, and weaving in the round are other classes I've seen.
Many libraries offer knitting clubs, crafternoon (yes that's a real thing), and other gatherings where you can work and learn from others.

5 Audio books

When I'm in heavy audition seasons and driving alllll the time, free audio books from the library are my jam. My library uses the Libby app. From there I can browse, check out, and return all from my phone. If I happen to hate the voice of the reader, or am just not into the book, I don't feel bad for returning it early. It was free!

6 Historic Documents and records

History resources at the library are not just for genealogists anymore (though there are still a lot of offerings for family history research.) I was able to download a high resolution map showing my house from 1874 directly from the library website. Historic photography collections are available there. Many local historic societies are digitizing their collections, and making them available to the library.
My favorite odd history find is the collection of historic menus. Hundreds of menus from local restaurants dating from 1880s to the 1970s. In theory I could re-create the Christmas menu of the Curtis Hotel from 1933. Knowledge is power.

7 Book club kits

Maybe you want to try out a book club, but don't know what to pick, write questions, or commit to everyone buying a book. The library has your back! Many offer book club kits. These are a set of 8-10 copies of a single title that check out for 6 weeks. Most come with questions and other resources for your group. Having a neighborhood book club has never been easier.


Resources that I have seen in other libraries include: puzzle exchange, author talks, and 3D printer access. Libraries have grown well beyond book browsing and toddler storytime.

What's something cool that your library offers? Do you have a library card yet? Why or why not?

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Missing Out?

It's summer, for now.

It's marching on to back to school time.

It feels a little like the world is sailing by, and maybe, just maybe, you feel like you missed out.

This feeling probably comes up a lot. Sometimes in little ways - sneaking in via your friend's vacation photos or sitting silently in a discussion of the latest TV show/movie/book you haven't seen or read.
Sometimes it's in big ways. The pregnancy announcements that pop up after yet another negative test. The supportive/non-destructive in-laws your friends have that just aren't in the cards for you.

Well meaning friends and family try to tell you that "your time will come" or "it will happen for you."
Let's be honest here, it might not.

That life ideal that you are hoping and dreaming and working toward? It might not happen. At least not in the way you initially pictured.

It's a fine line between accepting the reality that your dream might not happen and wallowing in it. It's so easy to think "why bother?" if your goal might be unattainable.

I'm completely guilty of this too. Back in May I was thinking I would be wrapping up my show toward the end of June. Then it would be an open summer of family fun, weekend adventures, and time to catch up with all the friends I haven't seen over the past many months of theater work. I would be showing more in my pregnancy by then, so theater auditions for the late summer and fall were off the table.

Then I started bleeding on June 1st. Suddenly all those plans I made around the assumption there would be prenatal appointments, a 20 week scan, and a kicking baby, died.

Then six weeks later it still wasn't over. Last week I had to have a D&C anyway (which makes my miscarriage longer than the time I was pregnant by more than two weeks, y'all.)
They found a badly behaved ovarian cystic tumor too. Thankfully benign.
But that surgery means I will have officially been miscarrying and recovering the entire summer. I'm not allowed to go in lakes or pools. I can't train at the level I need to in order to get back out on the audition circuit.

It is so stinking easy to wallow. To hate what my life is this summer. To be frustrated with God. To desire desperately to know why.
But none of that will change my fantastically unlucky roll of the biological dice.

So instead I'm trying to do what I can.
I can't train my body, but I can train my mind. The library is my favorite online shopping.
I can't swim or do any summer water sports, but I can visit the lake and enjoy it anyway.
I'm not traveling anywhere, but I can make myself a fun new cocktail and have a little porch vacation after kids are in bed.

I don't have much agency over my body right now, but I can do many other things. There are still things to learn, people to meet, dreams to have, and hopes to nurture.

Find what you can do out of where you are right now. Your friends aren't having a great summer at you, but they might not know how to be with you. Grow your base of interests and reach out from there.
Don't hate unfollow because the comparison struggle runs deep. See if there is a gem of an idea you can use from that person.
Live your life on the margins of what you think is possible. No one gets stronger from playing it safe and familiar.

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