Narelle here. Welcome to our ACW Tuesday Book Chat where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let's chat. Do you borrow books from the library?
Absolutely! Books for enjoyment, books for research, books for my kids. I’m so thankful our local library can do inter-library loans, which means that I was able to borrow a fabulous research book from the NSW State library about the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, which I used for extensive research while writing The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey. It’s quite likely to be the only book of its kind in Australia - and meant I didn’t need to pay a hundred dollars buying a copy from overseas. Yes, I love our library!
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn, It’s great you have access to the NSW State Library via your local library. When I was studying in Sydney, I’d often go to the State Library. :)
DeleteShort answer: not often.
ReplyDeleteI've posted a longer answer on my blog: http://www.iolagoulton.com/bookish-question-54/
Hi Iola, I visit the library a lot less now than I did 20 or 30 years ago. :)
Deleterarely I have borrowed some in the past few years to do with pain management recommended by my GP but that's about all.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny, The non-fiction library resources can be helpful. :)
DeleteYes. I do. Being a pensioner, it is impossible to feed my appetitie for books from my meagre funds.
ReplyDeleteHi Hazel, Very true, and Aussie authors may be eligible for Public Lending Rights payments from the government. Library borrows help local authors from a financial perspective, :)
DeleteI love our library. Like Carolyn I borrow for various reasons but mostly for research. The library personnel are always vey helpful and do their best to help me find what I need. It’s an excellent resource for me.,
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, I do think the library will remain our go-to place for research. The bonus is having knowledgeable staff to assist with our queries. :)
DeleteI do very often 😊 South Australia has recently started a one card policy, in which we're all linked up to every single public library in the state, and can draw from them all to reserve, borrow and return. It means there's rarely a title we can't get our hands on anymore. 👍
ReplyDeletePaula we have been able to get inter library loans for many years. The book I got last year had a wait list of over 23 with only 12 or so copies in the state. When I got it the wait list was at 23 again. I think its a title that a lot gps and pain specialists recommend to patients. I originally got it after orientation at the pain clinic. Of course when I got it I wasn't up to reading it as it was to involved for me.
DeleteHi Paula, We have a one card system in the ACT. Years ago when I lived in Sydney the inter-library borrows were limited by local government council areas and whether or not they had agreements to share resources.
DeleteHi Jenny, I’ve found the waiting lists can also be long for ebook and audio book downloads. Last year I discovered the Bolinda app from attending a session they ran at the Romance Writers of Australia conference. I’ve used the app to borrow ebooks and audio books. :)
DeleteEvery so often I do, but it's hard to find Christian fiction and the library won't always get them in if I request them.
ReplyDeleteHi Beth, It’s a while since I’ve searched for Christian fiction in my local library (my Kindle tbr list keeps me busy). They used to always buy in the Rita finalists (including the inspirational category) and top selling authors eg. Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury. Last time I browsed the physical shelves at my local library I found a dozen or more CF titles, mostly romance and a few Amish. :)
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