The Playaway
As part of our entertainment on a budget, Danielle and I stopped by the library after bowling on Saturday. It was the library on base here at Columbus and we had not been in there since we moved here over two years ago. I know...how sad. I checked out a couple of books on baking and cake decorating while Danielle was looking at dog training books. I'm surprised she didn't check one out. However, she did come up with a Playaway to check out. It's books on audio and this one was titled The Idiot's Guide to Learning Spanish. It looks something like a generic iPod and she can listen to the various chapters. I thought this was great! Today she's at school, I might just try it out.
Here is the link to their website for more information, or just to see what I'm talking about.
http://www.playaway.com/
Anyway, the library was a nice change. I was watching an episode from the first season of Glee, and the football player in the Glee club goes and finds his teacher with a book he's checked out of the library. I laughed so much because he said he was at the library and learned that you could borrow any of the books in there, except maybe the encyclopedias. In this day and age of information and instant gratification, the library may be forgotten as a great resource. Really, you don't have to buy a book to read it. I know the high-end bookstores with comfy cozy chairs and every type of reading material (and let's face it, a lot of nonreading material as well.) Add to that the coffee house that has become a mandatory accessory to these retailers and the library loses a lot of its luster.
But get this--the library is FREE!!! Check out a book or two, find books on audio, some libraries have a pretty decent DVD collection. For those who aren't lucky enough to have the Internet at home, you can usually access it at the library. Send a fax or make a copy for no charge or minimal charge. Read the latest magazines. Check the library activities...there are often activities and story times specifically aimed at getting the younger readers involved and interested in reading.
I know most people have been to a library and know what a wonderful resource it is, but just a reminder in this time of stretching the dollar as far as it will go.....use it!
Here is the link to their website for more information, or just to see what I'm talking about.
http://www.playaway.com/
Anyway, the library was a nice change. I was watching an episode from the first season of Glee, and the football player in the Glee club goes and finds his teacher with a book he's checked out of the library. I laughed so much because he said he was at the library and learned that you could borrow any of the books in there, except maybe the encyclopedias. In this day and age of information and instant gratification, the library may be forgotten as a great resource. Really, you don't have to buy a book to read it. I know the high-end bookstores with comfy cozy chairs and every type of reading material (and let's face it, a lot of nonreading material as well.) Add to that the coffee house that has become a mandatory accessory to these retailers and the library loses a lot of its luster.
But get this--the library is FREE!!! Check out a book or two, find books on audio, some libraries have a pretty decent DVD collection. For those who aren't lucky enough to have the Internet at home, you can usually access it at the library. Send a fax or make a copy for no charge or minimal charge. Read the latest magazines. Check the library activities...there are often activities and story times specifically aimed at getting the younger readers involved and interested in reading.
I know most people have been to a library and know what a wonderful resource it is, but just a reminder in this time of stretching the dollar as far as it will go.....use it!
