Heather Large: Use the local library or lose it

It’s fuelled by a desire to get back to reading real books that I can hold in my hands – with the added bonus of saving money at the same time.

Due to an already overflowing bookcase and a reluctance to part with any of those I already have, I’ve tended to rely on reading books on my Kindle during the past 12 months as well as a few remaining items in my to-be-read pile.

And although I like the convenience of e-books, especially when going away for the weekend or travelling abroad when luggage space is at a premium, they are not just the same as reading a physical paperback.

I’ve found that I miss the beautiful covers – they are only shown in black and white on my device – as well as their smoothness and the feel of the pages.

Often after a day in the office in front of a computer, looking at another screen even to read a novel isn’t that appealing, meaning I’m probably reading less.

When I was younger, I loved browsing the shelves of a library spending time selecting a stack of reading material, usually reaching the limit of how much I was allowed to borrow at once, to keep me going until my next visit.

I recall that I was a member of several different sized libraries near where I lived just to widen my choice of books and ensure I got my regular fiction fix.

As I got older and had a bit more spare cash at my disposal I was able to build my own collection so this habit was replaced over time with perusing the shelves at a bookshop, picking up titles that caught my eye and reading the back covers.

I continued to buy physical books even after purchasing a Kindle, mainly for holiday use. While the internet has made purchasing books more convenient, and more dangerous for the bank account – if I want to read the next in the series it could be with me for the next day – it’s still no match for visiting a shop or a library in person.

Browsing online just doesn’t exist in the same way, as a lot of the time the titles you see are based on your own past purchases or other people’s purchases.

You could be missing some great stories that you would love because you’re not typing the right words into the search box.

Discovering different authors is made harder unless you happen to have read something that makes the computer algorithm believe you will like a particular writer.

Whereas at a library or bookshop, it’s much easier because everything is laid out in front of you and you can browse until your heart’s content.

You can also ask a real person for advice or their thoughts on the latest bestseller which is far better than reading random reviews on the internet, in my opinion.

As well as helping us to save money – or/and storage space – libraries allow us to take more risks and try different genres we might not normally read without pressure.

When you are spending your hard-earned cash on a title, you want to know that you’re going to enjoy it when you get home.

But at a library, you can simply borrow it, give it a go and then return it, if it turns out not to be your cup of tea after a few chapters.

This is without feeling forced to struggle through to the end to make the purchase seem worthwhile.

Libraries have long played a key role in our communities and latest figures show that 226 million visits were made to libraries in England, Wales and Scotland in the 12 months to the end of March 2019, with more than 174.7 million books issued during the same period.

They also do a lot more than just lending books as staff run a whole host of activities for all ages including author talks, craft sessions and book clubs.

But there is a fear that if we don’t use them, they will disappear which would be a crying shame, so I’m also keen to show my support to help ensure they are always there for people who need them.

So I’m looking forward to exploring my local library and seeing what it has to offer as well as taking home a supply of fresh reading material. Here’s to a new year and plenty of new books to discover.