Sophia (age 2) and her Nonna at the Kitsilano Branch of the VPL, January 2010
Do you still get books out from your local library? I do! I love being able to access novels, DVDs, eBooks, magazines, and more. My whole family gets books from the library and both girls have their own library cards (no late fines!). Sophia has just signed up for this year's Summer Reading Club and is looking forward to lots of relaxing summer reading!
I find that the Vancouver Public Library has lots of modern quilting books available. Since the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild doesn't have the space to store a physical library, we let the VPL do it for us and encourage people to go to the library to check out books listed on our Books page.
But what do you do if the library doesn't have the book you're looking for in its collection? You suggest a purchase! This is what happened to me today when I went looking for The Farmer's Wife book. I was surprised that the book wasn't in the VPL's collection, so I suggested that they buy it:
To get to the Suggest a Purchase page, you click on "Using the Library" near the top right of the VPL homepage, then click "Borrowing", and then "Suggest a Purchase". My favourite way to fill out the form is to open up a Amazon.com tab for the book I'm suggesting and then copy and paste the relevant information. Simply tell the librarians why you think they should purchase this book, and send in the form!
I've had great luck getting books added to my library's collection using this method. If you don't live in Vancouver, try asking your local library how you can suggest a purchase.
Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library
Enjoy your summer reading!
I'm happy your daughters will be replacing mine in the Kitsilano summer reading clubs!
ReplyDeleteI'm a library user too! The Prince George Library has an amazing selection of modern quilting books, but now that we live in Quesnel, I'm constantly asking for books to purchase and for inter-library loan. Thanks for tracking down the Farmer's Wife book for me!
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate the library but find I appreciate the bookstore more, lately. I have an irrational fear that if I let go of a book, I also surrender the knowledge contained within it. It's a sickness. But now I call all my books "teacher resources"…. :-)
ReplyDeleteI read a book written by a Vancouver woman a few years ago called "Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man-boobs?" about her struggles with going eco with a young family, etc. The best part was her son walking into the kitchen at a friend's birthday and asking, in front of all the moms, if the cake was made with organic ingredients and free-range eggs. When the moms looked at her, she politely explained, "We're from Kitsilano." :-) It was a fun read.