Happy Birthday Natomas Library

Yesterday, the Natomas Library celebrated its second birthday.  What better time is there for me to sing my praises of the Sacramento Library system?  A year ago, to be honest, I wasn’t even sure that libraries were still a thing anymore.  I figured that, if there actually were any libraries still around, that they would be sad and irrelevant, kept in existence only because of the elderly masses who refuse to adapt (like checkbooks or Jay Leno).  I was pleasantly surprised to discover how wrong I was.  Here are my top 4 reasons why you should check out (pun intended) the Sacramento Library website:

1. Audiobooks: I love books.  I love the smell of them, the feel of them, I love reading out loud, reading quietly, I love everything about books.  Ten years ago, I would have likened audiobooks to monkey torture (actual monkey torture, not the Kids in the Hall skit).  I would have pontificated at you for hours about how audiobooks were the nail in the coffin of literature and art as we know it, that they were the lazy man’s way to soak up the latest  John Grisham novel without having to expend the energy to move his eyes.  I probably would have obnoxiously said that you should kill me the day that I listen to an audiobook (yes, I’ve been known to be not only geeky, but also dramatic and smug on occasion.  Don’t tell anyone!).  Then I found the Sac Libraries website.  They have a large selection of audiobooks that you can download directly to your computer and then to the media player of your choice (CD, iPod, iPhone).  I definitely haven’t sworn off real books, but I have definitely expanded the areas of my life that involve books. I used to hate my commute to and from work; now I relish this extra time to lose myself in a story (did I mention that I’m a geek?).  I’m much more inspired to use the gym after work, knowing that I’ll be able to listen to my book all the while (seriously, what pumps you up on the treadmill more than listening to Great Expectations being read to you in a cold, condescending Victorian accent?).  Long story long, audiobooks can be pretty amazing.  For those of you that have Kindles or Nooks, the website also has just as many books to download to your chosen device.
2. The Sac Library iPhone app:  That’s right, they have an app for that.  You may ask yourself what you would do with a library app, but you would be surprised.  With the push of a button, you can check due dates, renew the books that you have checked out or request new books.  Now, whenever I hear about a book that sounds interesting to me, within minutes, I can look it up and request that it be shipped to whichever library branch is most convenient for me.  It’s pretty awesome.
3. I Street Press: In an effort to encourage local writers to publish their own works, the library created the I Street Press.  They offer classes on self-publishing, and supply affordable options to bring your own stories to print.  I have not yet used this program but, as a bibliophile and writer (I use that word liberally), I love the concept of the library helping local writers get their voices heard.
4. The Library Itself:  I can’t speak for all of the libraries in the system (I’ve only been to two), but they are definitely not the libraries of yesteryear.  Even in the 1980s, when books were still pretty cool, my local library was stale.  It was dusty, dark and dank, and you definitely didn’t want to spend time there.  Today’s libraries (especially the Natomas branch) are very different.  They have wi-fi, listening stations, studying rooms and book sales.    Most of all, they’re full of children and adults that are all passionate about reading.  I’m not going to say they are the coffee houses of Paris, but it sure beats reading your book at your local Starbucks, surrounded by Frappuccino-bellied college girls in Uggs and pink sweatsuits.

The Sacramento Library system is amazing.  Don’t believe me, go see for yourself: www.saclibrary.org