Library Chat & Book Haul

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Just to clarify by interlibrary loan I mean when you request a book from a different county. It costs £12 for me to do that. It costs 60p for me to put a book within my county's catalogue on hold. Even if its in my actual library in Norwich they charge me 60p to put it in hold which I understand from comments is quite unusual.

[@Dottiemi]

I have the same experience with the library, rarely do I find anything I fancy when browsing, but I do tend to see lots I’ve already read. The reservation system is great, I’m always panicking that it will come to an end one of these cost cutting days!

[@lindarosborough7091]

I used to browse in the library a lot, especially when we would borrow DVDs or picture books when my daughter was small. These days, I reserve books and pick them up (no fee) or borrow ebooks and audiobooks via the library from home. When I do browse in person, I mostly look at non-fiction titles, like cookbooks, gardening, or biographies. I browse the library catalogues a lot, though! Via the website, I look at both the physical collection and the digital options.

[@Elizabeth-Reads]

I rarely browse at the library, usually put the books I want on hold so that I can just collect them. I do miss the experience of browsing for treasures, but the truth is that I rarely found treasures I wasn’t already aware of. Like you, I also love suggesting upcoming books for purchase, because I’m often the first person to get them…New book smell! It’s almost like buying my own new copy.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I'm exactly the same with not finding many gems when browsing. I love the new book smell too 😊

[@barbaraschmitt85]

I have two library cards, one here in Dublin and one from the Queens public library in New York City ($50 a year for non-residents). So far I've only read ebooks and audiobooks because every book I wanted to read was available in both physical and digital so I didn't feel the need to go there. I love browsing in an independent book store for inspiration more than my library (ironically located right across from the library so not like I couldn't go to both)

[@YourTrueShelf]

Such a great video - you did it with your tbr, that's amazing!!! What a great position to be in now. Library - I tend to reserve more thma browse. I think with the millennium library, as it's so big, I only tend to browse the little stands on the ground floor or the American section. With my local library, it's really easy to browse, but I can get carried away and borrow loads, then my tbr doesn't go down etc... So I tend to just borrow what I've reserved as I really want to read it. It's great knowing that I can get whichever library books you show!! Xx

[@marcellainthemargins]

Ooh and absolutely listen to Too much lip on audio, it adds so much authenticity!

[@CUBS83]

I'm a library user and I write/work in the library. I will say my library (in New England, in the U.S) has a massive literary fiction selection. it's a small library but full of adult fiction, nonfiction, ya and graphic novels/memoirs and more. I occasionally order for research but for the most part, browsing always yields positive results. I read about 50 books a year, not as many as you, so that might also be why I'm easily satisfied. But it isn't the most typical regional library. I find it very literary and current.

[@CUBS83]

Also, interlibrary loans are free here. I am shocked at that cost. There's also no cost to putting a book on hold or on order online. How unusual and unfair and depressing.

[@CarlyArlyArla]

I worked in my local library for seven years and have only recently left, so I've pretty much read every back list title I'm interested in. These days I mostly go in for reservations, but I do still have a quick browse after I know they've had their new stock delivered 🙂 the inter-library loan scheme is completely free where I am (South Wales) and so are normal reservations so that £12 cost shocked me!

[@bookishsabrina]

Solito was really good on audio as well!

[@katrinaandallthebooks7993]

I have a super tiny library at the end of my street so mainly just reserve things, the do have a new books display so I find the odd gem there. If I go into the big library in the city I’ll browse, I like finding things I’ve never heard of. Currently giving the library a miss as I’m trying to get my tbr to zero, also have a similar goal of having about 30 books in the house (I’m on 90ish at the moment).

[@michalaharesnape5434]

I have a constant list of 20 reservations at my library, each time I go there may only be 1 or 2 waiting for me so I have to browse too. I’ll have a look at the new releases section and sometimes get lucky there. I’ll have a good look at the books on the shelves and then leave a note on my phone of where I got up to, for example next time I go in I’m going to start from the ‘Ge’ authors. I do often find books I’ve seen on book tube and I love that I can take a chance on a book I’m not sure about without it costing me any money. I’m also buying myself one book a week so that I have a constant stream of new books. I get through 2-3 books a week so I need to keep them coming. Thanks for the video Mercedes x

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Is 20 your limit on reservations? I've just found out mine is 25. I tried tooit a 26th book on hold last night and it wouldn't let me 😅 Annoyingly my library doesn't seem to have a new releases section. I think because most new releases have a big wait list so they'd never be on the shelves. That sounds like a great system. Maybe I'll have to try that next time I browse xx

[@homolibrariensis8132]

I mostly use the library for audiobooks these days. I will reserve them and pick them up. I did go and browse recently. When i do that, i typically go to nonfiction, especially cook books and travel books and sometimes magazines! We have interlibrary loans but they are free, i have used it a couple of times. My fave is that any member can request up to 5 items a month; if you request a book that is published somewhere they can access it in the last 15 years they will just order it.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I borrow cookbooks too. I love to see if the recipes work for me before buying. That sounds amazing! I'd be requesting 5 every month 😂

[@jenvcampbell]

£12 for an inter-library loan is... interesting! 👀 Looking forward to seeing how you get on with these ☺ I just finished Watching Women and Girls by Danielle Pender and think you'd really enjoy it (it reminded me of Saba Sams' collection). xx

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Ohhh, that sounds really good. Thanks for the rec xx

[@Wendy-ib3iy]

I always reserve books and never browse. I live in Greater Manchester, which is divided into districts. I can reserve any book from any Greater Manchester library for free, but I have to collect it from a library within that district. I can usually find a book I want either in my local district or an adjacent one that is convenient to me, so I find it ok. I haven't heard of asking your library to buy a book - I will investigate!

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

I cam appreciate the temperature being a little too warm in the library! And also not browsing too much because of the number of holds!

[@marcellainthemargins]

It sounds like the library system is quite similar over in my local library. I do pay an annual fee of 60 euros a year, I think it's free for under 18 and low income households can apply for a discount. And then I can loan and put holds on any books from the 25 or so libraries in the area for no extra charge. And that's great because the libary has an excellent collection, they're just not all located in the same location. And I think I would pay a similar amount for an inter library loan, which I would never do. But I guess maybe if you're doing research or something and another library has an out of print book that you need that might be useful.

[@GreenBitterfly]

In West Yorkshire where I live, the libraries are organised by separate council area, they are Leeds, Wakefield, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees. I have a bet with myself every time I check the catalogue, that anything vaguely less mainstream, it's either going to be one copy at the biggest library or they're not going to have it at all. I think last time I checked inter-library loan was £5 and holds within the council area are free and there's no fines to pay if you go overdue.

[@cass465]

I only really browse my local library and it also tends to have the cutesy books and thrillers but they will have a sprinkle of very current and well respected novels, so I like searching for them.

[@booksoverbreakfast]

I use my library way too much to the detriment of the books I actually own LOL. I usually just put them on hold. I like browsing but it‘s rare I need to. I usually have so many coming in. I like to check out the express bestsellers every time I come in just in case there’s something I’m waiting for.

[@vesnastihovic7014]

I recommend Tirza by Arnon Grunberg.

[@ameliabarlowbooks]

Places I've Taken My Body is a beautiful read, from what I remember it's quite reminiscent of Gargoyles by Harriet Mercer if you've read that. hope you enjoy A Girlhood! 💖

[@zuzanatimulakova5041]

I joined a library in January this year mostly to save money. Every time I'm bored, I check out the catalog and reserve books to pick up. Like you, I usually just reserve books online and browse just occasionally as my library does not have a lot of space, so it's hard to find books if they are double stacked on the shelves. I regularly check out the recently returned titles/recently added titles in catalog to find interesting books. My library also offers the option to request books you are missing, but they only review the member suggested titles twice a year and because of that none of my suggestions were purchased (yet!! I hope they get some). I'm lucky that my library has a decent selection of books in English, but most of the books I read were translated works - I still prefer to read in English if it's an original language, but I decided the pros outweigh the possible cons. I DNF a lot more as the stakes are low and I pick up a lot of books I would otherwise never pick up if I had to buy them. Newer releases are an issue as if I see a new book on KZbin I know I won't find it in library right away, but I never read books just as they came out, so I'm good - and I still plan to buy some books from time to time. Most of the books I read this year were library books - I love this fact but it does not really help me with getting my TBR at home to a manageable level :D

[@HelloDeborahUK]

It costs £1 a reservation so I only tend to reserve if I desperately want to read it. But if it's middle grade I can reserve it for 10p on my daughters account, annoyingly not teen or teen+, although she is only 6 so I guess it's age restricted. I use Borrowbox from the library now a lot more, although I prefer reading a physical book rather than on my phone/ipad.

[@azu_rikka]

I am a Swissie living in Cape Town and the two library systems are (obviously) worlds apart. I only read library books, and the system here is as follows: The library card is free. Books must be returned after 8 weeks. With the card, one can get max. 20 books (before COVID, it was only 7). The fee to reserve one book is R20, equivalent to a loaf of bread, so I never do that. Suggestions are welcome, but it might take up to one year for the book to be available, and they don't keep one informed whether they will buy the book or not. I normally browse, as I enjoy discovering and exploring. We normally plan two hours, an outing, with my daughters. I have read "The last of her kind," and what stayed with me is the descriptions of the sixties and Nunez's academic way of writing. It was my first Nunez book, and I have read two more since. In all of her books, I enjoyed some parts tremendously and found other parts lacking. Her memoir has hilarious anecdotes and very sad ones. Her parents and upbringing were definitely special...

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Thanks for letting me know about your library system. I'm loving hearing about how different everyone's experiences are. I love that you spend a couple of hours at the library with your daughters :) I haven't read any Nunez so I'm intrigued to start with this one. Fingers crossed I enjoy it and can go on to some of her other books.

[@carolking4124]

Hi. I love how you made this video about your current TBR's but also involved the topic of using libraries, as it is interesting to hear how different people use them. I think it depends how you need your library to serve you- and I think how you use it is perfect for you. I would say I agree about the scope of books they have, like they generally seem to have them all, I guess they have different ratio's whereby they might buy 5 copies for Babel across a county, compared with 30 copies of a new James Patterson released the same day. That way you end up that every library has the James Patterson book, but you likely need to order a Babel. But back to what I was saying about use: An old lady that likes to borrow 3 books a week so they are available to her during days when she needs something to do is going to care much less about the books she borrows than someone with a 100 list TBR of the memoirs she needs to read ASAP! That lady can just browse and it suits her fine, but the one with the list needs to request books. That said, I often just browse my library and make myself choose 3 books like I would have to do when I was a kid, because that is how I first came across what I liked to read - maybe you can do this as a challenge once in a while and see what you find? Finally, I'm in Scotland and an interlibrary loan is supposed to cost £5, but I have request one twice, and both times the librarian said it is a charge my local library covers because they need to get the book and provide that service free to me, so maybe double check with the librarian? There is a limit like 6 a year. Anyway, great video, happy reading!!

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the library discussion :) Yes, I completely agree! They had soooo many copies of some books. Even some new books that I think are super popular on booktube aren't outside of that so my county only buys one copy. Yes, I'll definitely carry on browsing! Maybe I could try make some sort of challenge video out of it :) Ohh, that's good to know. I'll definitely check!

[@xoxmilknosugarxox]

I'm SO excited to see what you think of The Idiot. Honestly, both those Elif Batuman books are in my top 10 books ever and I think they'll be up your street too. If you love them you'll reaaally love them so fingers crossed you end up with some new favourites! The Last of Her Kind is only set in academia for about 1/4 of it and not as focused on the one friendship as it sounds from the blurb but still an interesting read especially politically.

[@ameliareads589]

I usually reserve books as well and only visit the library to pick them up. That said I had the opposite experience to you, only a couple of days ago. I had a bit of a browse and was quite surprised about some of the books I found. The reason for that is that my library is quite rubbish with publishing on their website which new books they acquired lately, so I could only ever find these books online, if I would look for a particular one. Also it was nice to be reminded of some backlist books I'm interested in.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

That makes sense. My online library catalogue is kept really up to date which helps.

[@Emma_S76]

I reserve a lot of books at our library, but also browse. Our library does have a pretty good collection. Placing a reservation is 75p which can add up. Interlibrary loans were £6 last time I checked, so I don't do those!

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Fairly similar to me then. Its 60p for me to reserve books within my county.

[@whatsthetemma1308]

Our library don't ask for money for holds or interloaning. They recently re introduced fines and renewals which is sad after 3 years of none of that. I find that makes me anxious I don't know why apart from my aweful short term memory. Meaning I could easily get a few fines. Any tricks for remembering renewals?

[@bandkh90]

I don’t bother going into my library. My experience is very similar to yours. I have a great regional library service but I only like reserving on line…saves time and frustration. I like ebooks to download to my Ereader or large print as I am vision challenged. I also request my library to purchase ebooks or large print and they have been very accommodating. We are allowed to request 15 books per month for the library to purchase.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Yes, online is definitely easier. Especially like you said if you need a certain format. My library has a section for all the large print books which I appreciate. Does yours?

[@bandkh90]

@@MercysBookishMusings it does but isn’t as up to date as it could be. Again, that’s why borrowing online is better for me if I want a physical book because, being part of a large area with quite a few municipal libraries in our region, you can borrow from any of the other Council libraries in the group and have it delivered to your local free of charge. But I think more and more new release titles seem to be available as ebooks so I’m good either way! Thank you for replying! Cheers, Barbara

[@wendycayless]

Too Much Lip is wonderful! Diana Reid's (another Australian author) Love and Virtue is a campus novel you might enjoy.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

It sounds great! Thank you for the recommendation 😊

[@braincabbage]

In Edinburgh inter-library loans are really expensive, too, £13 if I'm not mistaken. However, there are over 20 library locations in Edinburgh and you can put a hold on any books within all of those libraries for free

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Wow, that's more libraries than my entire county has I think 😅 I guess it's based on population though and my county is fairly rural with a smallish population of around 950k.

[@braincabbage]

@@MercysBookishMusings Edinburgh has around 600,000 inhabitants I think so less than Norfolk, but to be fair it's known to be a literary city and it's kinda posh so I think they put more money into libraries. Glasgow's library system is bigger though and Glasgow is definitely less posh than Edinburgh. So maybe it's just the culture within the council and how much they value the library service. Always interesting to see how different libraries are across the UK!

[@starshine343]

Have you read Weyward yet? I know that was one of your library loans at the beginning of the year. I loved it!!

[@michalaharesnape5434]

Me too, just finished it and loved it.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Yes, I gave up on it after about 60 pages. I wasn't enjoying the writing style. Glad to hear you enjoyed it though 😊

[@suenicholls5446]

😀💕xx 🐣 thanks Mercedes. Thanks for your choices. This year I’m trying to read 1 book a month from my collection at home but all the rest I reserve from my library. Last year I borrowed 110. I very rarely browse my library as it’s not a very big branch with limited choices. But I would NEVER be without my library services. I have put a reservation in the James Scudamore.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

That sounds like a great system you have in place. Do you read most of the books you borrow? Im the same now I use it so much. I could never afford this many new releases! Xx

[@suenicholls5446]

@@MercysBookishMusings yes. I manage to read just about all the books I borrow except any that I really don’t enjoy which hardly ever happens. Happy reading x🥰

[@MercysBookishMusings]

@@suenicholls5446 wow, that's amazing! I was quite bad last year at returning lots unread but now I have a small tbr I've been really enjoying actually reading all my library books. Doesn't it feel great when you check them back in when you've read them all? 🤣🤓

[@suenicholls5446]

@@MercysBookishMusings oh yes, absolutely! And means I can take out more. I always have a few to collect on the reserve shelf in my library. I’m reading and loving ‘the heart’s invisible furies’ at the moment. Lots of love 🥰🐣x

[@hopesprings7812]

Wearing glasses I find it hard to browse sideways if you get what I mean😅 so prefer to reserve. My library is Hunstanton but not sure about the charges, if they're the same as Norwich.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Hahahaah, yes, I do!

[@JustABookLover.]

For my library it depends on what I am in the mood for. There are a lot of young adults who regularly go to my library so the YA section is solid and quite up to date in addition to the graphic novel section. Anything else I usually reserve and they send it over from different branches in the city. I live in the US and the inter-library loans don't cost anything but it may have to do with the branch system. Overall the library selection varies depending on the people who frequent each branch. But in all honesty I tend to use my library's digital library the most because of the ease and audiobooks.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Can you read ebooks on your ereader? My understanding is that in the UK the library ebooks aren't the right format for kindle so I never borrow them. I think they might work on kobo so maybe I need to switch to that.

[@Steffi74ify]

@@MercysBookishMusings I'm in Canada, and Kindle isn't supported through Overdrive/Libby here, either. This is the main reason I've stuck with Kobo rather than Kindle.

[@laurakuhlmann1626]

Oh my goodness, I loved "A Girlhood" hope you find it interesting as well. As for my library habits: I'm the type to put mostly books on hold from the librart. I am also sometimes browsing the recommendations sections, but then I tend to want to burrow too much, so I have to abstain myself :)

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Glad to hear how much you enjoyed it 😊

[@lindacarson5429]

I mainly reserve books from my library for similar reasons to you but I do love to get a nice surprise every now & again by browsing. The library service in NI is updating it's computer database this month so no reservations available 😱

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Oh no, I'd hate not being able to use my online library system for even a day 😂 hopefully it means you'll have a great system when done though!

[@Gagging4Lit]

I pretty much only reserve books at the library but I peer around the shelves a little bit, mostly to see if they have more books by authors I might be interested in. I'm reading through Patricia Highsmith's Ripley series at the moment and adoring it. The editon my library had of the second book was from 1971 - almost a first edition, so I love little finds like that. I have The Idiot on my shelves to read. Hoping to get to it over the summer. What's put me off is that it's a bit of a chunker and there are some other chunkers I would like to get to first.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Oh, I really want to try some more Patricia Highsmith. I've only read Carol. That's such a great find!

[@elizabethreads0312]

Where I grew up we had a nice public library that I loved browsing at. I would reserve a book if it was a best seller but in general they kept a good selection so browsing was easier there. In part I think this is because we only had one library there wasn't multiple branches. Now I live in a large city and I reserve books, This is in part to two reasons. The first is that the branch closest to me has horrible hours for my work schedule so I wouldn't have any time to browse other than a Saturday and thats always a busy time at the library. The other reason is because we have so many branches that likelihood of the books I wanted to read being there aren't has high. Its crazy to me that a small town library is open more hours per week than my local branch in a large city. I've used interlibrary loan a few times and depending on the library its either free or the cost of shipping up to $5.00. A cool thing that not a lot of people know about is you can get library cards from neighboring library for free or for a yearly fee. If you enjoy ebooks or audiobooks this is nice because you have access to a larger catalog and sometimes other library have a smaller hold list so that you can get a book with less of a wait.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

That's so odd that it's a city library but has a rubbish schedule! It makes sense why you reserve then. Plus it's exciting getting the notification that a book is ready to be collected 🤓 I think you can get access to a different counties library in England of you live close to the edge of 2 counties. My mum lives in 1 county but she's only 10 miles from another so she has a library card for each county.

[@elizabethreads0312]

@@MercysBookishMusings this only really works with nonfiction but if there’s a specific chapter of a book you wanted to read usually you can can do inter library Loan for free and instead of them shipping the book they just scan the pages to you. I used this a lot while I was at university.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

@@elizabethreads0312 that sounds really helpful!

[@elizabethreads0312]

@@MercysBookishMusings yeah it is. I don’t use that option much anymore as nonfiction I read now I like to read the entire book. But its a great option for people who need it.

[@lorenarooke3679]

I never browse my local library. It's quite small and seems to like to stock mostly Mills & Boon! 😂 I do worry that even though I visit every weekend, does the fact that I only order online and literally just pick up and return books not count as footfall? I've noticed that it's almost always empty on a Saturday. I'd hate it to be closed down.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I think that both browsing and reserving must be good for different reasons. As you said browsing is good for footfall but reserving must keep the librarians busy :)

[@pernillehesselbjerg7926]

In Denmark you can reserve books from all libraries in the country for free (It is also a small country 😊) I almost never browse for the same reasons you mention. In my my very small local library they don't have any books written in English either - only the Danish translation which I don't like to read when I'm able to read the book in the original language. Also a lot of books written in English are not translated into danish. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the books☺️

[@MercysBookishMusings]

That's amazing that you can get books from all other Denmark!

[@braincabbage]

I had that problem when I still lived in Germany and Sweden! I never wanted to read the translations when I can read the original so I didn't use the library that much. Now that I've moved to the UK I have the opposite problem of having difficulty accessing German, Swedish and Norwegian books in the original languages

[@pernillehesselbjerg7926]

@@braincabbage oh yeah totally understand.. and actually there is a advantage of speaking another language than English because books written in other languages is sometimes translated to Danish before English or it is not translated to English at all.. specially German and Scandinavian books..

[@Fyoosha]

interesting, I'm a librarian and I've never heard of an Interlibrary Loan service that charges money! But I'm US-based and more used to larger library systems, so perhaps that's why...

[@cindyscrazybookaddiction]

I’m in the US and I was shocked that a library loan would cost money!

[@amylynnm324]

I’m in Canada and our library holds and interlibrary holds are also free.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Yeah it does seem to be free in most countries. I pay 60p to put a book on hold in my county. Even if my actual library has it they charge me 60p to put it on the hold shelf. Then £12 to request a book from outside my county.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

​@@cindyscrazybookaddiction Yeah it does seem to be free in most countries. I pay 60p to put a book on hold in my county. Even if my actual library has it they charge me 60p to put it on the hold shelf. Then £12 to request a book from outside my county.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

​@@amylynnm324 Yeah it does seem to be free in most countries. I pay 60p to put a book on hold in my county. Even if my actual library has it they charge me 60p to put it on the hold shelf. Then £12 to request a book from outside my county.

[@whatsthetemma1308]

I always reserve but when I collect and have a quick look to. Do you have a service through your library called books for you.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Hmm, I don't think so. What is it?

[@whatsthetemma1308]

So normally you can request a book if it's a new book under 6 months you can make a request it's an additional option

[@polly2900]

I live in The United States in my library system there isn't any charge for interlibrary loans.

[@hannahvictoriau]

I definitely get a lot more of my library books through reservations but I get them for free because I work there, and it would annoy me to pay 😂 I am a firm believer that they should be free for all. However, we have quite a few literary fiction readers in our branch and the stock team seems to recognise this and so buys us more in to put on our shelves so I do find the odd treasure when unpacking new stock. It can just be luck on the day but we do mostly have the more popular fiction like you mentioned.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Ohhhh, I bet unpacking the new stock must be so exciting. Do you put all the gems aside to borrow yourself first? Haha

[@hannahvictoriau]

@@MercysBookishMusings Of course 🤭

[@traceymills5113]

I am in Australia and my inter library transfer system has been under review due to a change of delivery service since October but will open again 1st May. I am nervous that they may start charging as its a service I use frequently. I have been surprised now how little actual fiction books the library holds on its shelves and can rarely find anything I want to read. This has led me to buy too many books in the last 12mths. I think I will put The Idiot on my first inter library request. Did you read I have some questions for you? I am very much enjoying that one.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Im worried I've confused people 😅 by interlibrary loan I mean when you request a book from outside of your library service/county. That costs me £12. To put a book on hold from within my county costs me 60p. I hope they keep the service for you! That's odd that there isn't much fiction! Yes, I really enjoyed it. I found it such a page turner!

[@lyddie465]

12 pounds for an interlibrary loan good LORD. i will never take my free interlibrary loans for granted ever again, omg. i work in a library so maybe this is, like, not an accurate representation but i rarely actually browse. i put books on hold (either physically or digitally) and pick them up. i get lots of recommendations, but i rarely see books that interest me on the shelf. books that interest me are often on order or are classics and so they're checked out. but every once and a while, i'll find a gem while browsing.

[@mauraherlihy4472]

I live in Maine and Interlibrary loans are at no charge. Because of the expansive system my local library belongs to, I almost always can find the book I am seeking.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

That sounds amazing 😊

[@alliebeesreading]

What?! In America, ILL is completely free….you’re telling me we actually do something right?!?! I browse….but with purpose. I have about 6,000 books in my “want to read” shelf on Goodreads so I do browse the library shelves…but always with those books in my mind. 95% of the time, I’m only taking books home off of my GR account. It’s rare I just pull something interesting off the shelf and give it a go. I couldn’t imagine just picking up holds from the library and not taking a few minutes to look around!

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Im worried I've confused people 😅 by interlibrary loan I mean when you request a book from outside of your library service/county. That costs me £12. Is that what you mean by interlibrary loan? I wish it was free here! To put a book on hold from within my county costs me 60p. The area of my library where I pick up my holds is the quick check out section so if something grabs my eye I pick it up. But the actual A-Z fiction and non fiction are on a different floor so browsing there always feels more purposeful. Wow, 6000 is massive! Does your library have lots of them in stock?

[@alliebeesreading]

@@MercysBookishMusings Yes, that’s InterLibrary Loan. I live in Michigan and that means if my library doesn’t have a book I want, I just go to the ILL portion of their website and request the book. It will show every library in Michigan that has the book available and one of those will soon be on its way to my library, for free. Yes, my library is great!! I’ve been in my town for 7 years now and haven’t run out of books to borrow yet….I hardly ever need to use ILL.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

@@alliebeesreading that's so amazing! I'd love to see all your options 🤓 if I visit the US I'd definitely go in a few libraries to see what the options are 🤣

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

I definitely browse at my librabry, I am too cheap to request books. Also, the English books here in Germany are not in such a high demand, I am always glad to find something I am interested in within those 4 small shelves. :D I wanna get more into borrowing e-books, haven't really tried that yet.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

It has started costing me a fair amount with the amount of books I request. I just requested 10 and it cos me £6 which I guess is still much less than 1 new book would cost me. It is rubbish for the people who can't afford it though!

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

@@MercysBookishMusings I think in my library it would be 1 Euro per request, but then they often have special fees for popular new releases (additional 1-2 Euros) and bestsellers (usually the same as popular new releases). But that is only for the German editions which I am not going for. English new releases are super rare here, but the libraries have gotten better with it. I don't really like all these extra fees because you already have to pay a yearly fee of around 20-25 Euros which obviously isn't a lot for most people, but it still creates inequality in access imo.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

​@@KittyAndTheBooksI've never heard of having to pay membership to a library! I completely agree about any sort of charge at a library creating an unfair system. I know I'm more able to pay the reservation fee and because of that I get to read lots of newer releases. Its not fair that others don't have the same access level.

[@thereadersarmchair9093]

Our Interlibrary price is £5.55 per book- so yours seems really expensive (Our is Wiltshire). I find browsing in the library really overwhelming so I tend to reserve online. I also go around the library and make a list of books they have in that I want to read before requesting. There are just so many books to choose from.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Is that for you to get a book from outside of Wiltshire? I'm not syre I explained what an interlibrary loan is very well. Yes, I find browsing the whole library pretty overwhelming too!

[@thereadersarmchair9093]

@@MercysBookishMusings Yes. that's from outside Wiltshire. 😀

[@thereadersarmchair9093]

To order from other libraroes in county is only £1.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

​@@thereadersarmchair9093 that's interesting. I find it so odd that counties have such different systems. I guess it all depends on how much funding they have.

[@FHMS97]

I recently finished reading an ARC of Emma Donoghue's upcoming novel, Learned by Heart, and its set in a boarding school, so id definitely recommend it if youre looking for more novels with that setting!! ☺️ hadnt heard of English Monsters before but it sounds amazing - definitely gonna check that one out 👀

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Ohhh, I'll definitely give that one a read as I've enjoyed her previous books. Thanks for the rec!

[@kitthereader]

just from reading the comments, i think some people might be a little confused by what you meant by inter library loan. i'm thinking you meant reserving from a completely different county's library service and i'm wondering if it's £12 because it doesn't happen much plus norwich is quite out the way so the delivery would be a lot? £12 is still outrageous though! i so rarely browse my own library for the same reason as you. so many thrillers and sagas catered to the older customers which is fair enough, they use the library a lot, i just wish browsing was more fun too. i've been considering doing a 'browse the library with me' video for this reason, to see if i can find anything good. i always just reserve and collect.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Yes, that is what I meant! I think some people know what I mean because they're the same ppl who told me to see if my library did interlibrary loads and explained what they were 😂 but definitely some confusion! Yes, maybe it is because we're not v central. Do you browse the online catalogue? I do that all the time to see what they've recently bought and really enjoy it. It does cost me 60p to reserve a book even from my actual library in Norwich so I do spend about £6 a month on it. I don't mind as I love the library but from what I've heard norfolk are one of the few counties who charge to reserve a book in your actual library. That video sounds like a good idea 😊

[@kitthereader]

@@MercysBookishMusings i don't browse online much because their websites aren't really set up for browsing, not even a new section. i actually work in a library and they charge 80p, even for staff! i don't really use our own service, plus i've been off on maternity. i use a neighbouring county's library and it's 50p so i just search what i want and put a hold on. they've a much better catalogue than my local one as well.

[@WaitWhoIsEmily]

I’m in Norfolk (gorleston) and I requested an inter library loan and it was around 40p? I wonder why it was so expensive for you! Saying that I’ve been waiting for it for a verrrrry long time!

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Oh my god! Was that for it to come from a different county? That's what I mean by interlibrary loan. To request a book within norfolk it's only 60p

[@WaitWhoIsEmily]

Ohhhhh!! Completely ignore me then sorry haha. I didn’t even realise you could to that, but for that much money it is ridiculous!!!

[@996CRAIG]

Sigrid Nunez is such a great writer. She doesn’t spoon feed the reader - I love the way she interweaves subtle references to the political and social climate around her characters without shoving it down your throat. However, there’s one scene in the book that made me feel physically sick and so angry. Enjoy.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

You've made me both excited and anxious to read it, haha

[@emrmch]

You get charged for inter-county loans in the library? That's outrageous! Even Ireland isn't that bad and it's free for us (We also don't have late fees). In saying that we have a small group of right wing nutters protesting in some libraries so we can't be too boastful!