By R. Dyer Allied Residential

What do reading clubs, 24/7 live online homework help, pronunciation center, graphic novels, sewing circles, 3D printers, pro bono legal advice, museum passes, and entirely free collections of audiobooks/music/books/TV series/comic books have in common? All of this and more can be found in our libraries. And Library Joy is FREE. There is so much to help you get the job you want—resume writing coaches, interview coaches through e-sources, technology certifications, online courses, and live classes. The library is no longer a prim-and-proper, be-quiet kind of place anymore. Libraries are about learning and community, and they’re one of the few free third spaces open to everyone. This is a situation where the more you use it, the better it gets. I won’t argue semantics—picture books are books, audiobooks are books, and I would argue that movies and television are simply 3D books that are being read aloud and acted out. What is a script if not just a book in a binder clip?

April 7–14 is Library Appreciation Week! Head down to the local library and show them some love by checking them out. Need something? The library staff will help you out!

When my dyslexic friend learned there was a font that would help them read and that picture books were books and that fact made them a reader, it was life-changing. I was not raised as a library kid, with Mr. Rogers or Bob Ross or Arthur Read on PBS as my childhood friends. As an adult, I am thankful for their work and the work of others that took up the mantle of joy in learning.

We love librarian Mychal Threets and his videos on social media, showing how he loves the library and Library People. He tells us, “I am a library person just trying to make it day by day—I love listening to the library stories and sharing the library joy.” He tells everyone that there is something at the library for everyone—Library Kids, Library Grownups, Library People—and that of course they’ve got books! They’ve got e-books, they’ve got audiobooks through Libby and Kanopy, they’ve got manga, they’ve got graphic novels, they’ve got comic books, they’ve got biography, they’ve got sci-fi, they’ve got thrillers, they've got young adult fiction, they've got juvenile fiction, they’ve got beautiful picture books! But if you are not a bookworm (which you can be—you’re capable of it!), they’ve got something for you too! They’ve got music, television series, and DVDs. They’ve got parks passes! You can go to the museum for free or discounted admission, all courtesy of your library card.

They library’s got so many amazing things… What are you waiting for? Go down to your local library and get a free library card —all you usually need is a picture ID and proof of address. You can take advantage of the library even without a library card—their services are still available to you, as are all events, classes, meeting rooms rentals, computers, and Wi-Fi. With a library card, you can take things home: science-to-go backpacks, book club kits, books, graphic novels, DVDs, and dozens of other materials. 

Pierce County is home to thirty public libraries, serving over a quarter of a million people. Tacoma Public Library has eight locations, including the central library in Downtown Tacoma, two regional locations in North and South Tacoma, and five neighborhood branches. The Pierce County Library System has twenty library locations in fifteen cities and towns as well as in unincorporated Pierce County, which are annexed to the PCL system for library services.