Reasons to Own a Library Card

In previous articles, we have talked about the many free services library's offer, this includes free tax preparation during tax season, book clubs for adults, story-time for children, and even movie showings. I can tell you that for most tightwads like myself, the most valuable plastic card in our wallets is certainly a library card.

I read a great article summing up all the benefits of joining the 2/3 of Americans who own library cards. In addition to the ten reasons below, remember that by supporting your local library you are supporting your local community. Also, you are visiting an institution that is the modern day offspring of such famous ancient libraries such as those in Greece, China, Egypt, and India. It is so easy to forget to be grateful for these public resources where an abundance of media is at your fingertips at no immediate cost to you.

Should Knowledge Have a Price Tag?

In "Graduate School: A Refuge from the Recession," we started to discuss the difficulty of paying back graduate loans, and the pressure to attain higher degrees. But somewhere under all that paperwork you do in graduate school, is that love of learning which made you an 'academic' in the first place.

 Good news, you no longer have to pay top dollar to maintain your love of learning. Reader's Digest wrote an article "Free Classes are a Click Away," with a list of free online courses you can take. If you have streaming devices, such as Xbox 360 or Roku players, you can even stream channels that offer lectures from Ivy League professors. Here are some good sites to take a peek at: