The library has always been a main staple in my life. Like myself, my mom is a huge reader and would always (and still does) take me to the library and let me pick out all the books that I wanted. One of the best days of my childhood was when I was old enough to take out my own library card. Since then, I go to my local library at least two times a week, and I am the queen of the YA section. I encourage you, my fellow reader, to use your local library for the following reasons!

You save money- Listen, I am all about buying and collecting books. However, if I bought all the books I read each month, I’d probably be spending $70-$100 a month that I don’t have. I’m a broke college student after all! I buy about 25% of the books that I read, with the rest coming from the library.

You’re always encouraged to read- My library allows me to take out more books that I could possibly read within two weeks. Even if I can’t finish a book before the return date, I can almost always go online and renew it for another two weeks. Also, even if your local library doesn’t have a book that you’re looking for, most branches can get the book from another library in their system in a quick amount of time. It’s another fun form of book mail!

You feel better about not finishing books– I’m all about reading books that I genuinely enjoy. If you follow me on Goodreads , you’ll rarely see me give a 1-2 star reading. When I am not enjoying a book, I almost immediately put it down and don’t rate or review it. I really don’t feel guilty about DNF’ing a library book because I didn’t pay for it. If I bought a book that I DNF’ed, I would just think about the money I wasted on the book.

Saves shelf space- Let’s be honest, even though I am a frequent library user, I still buy a lot of books. While I would love to own every book that I read, my bookshelves and storage space certainly would not feel the same way. I just don’t have enough space (still wishes for that Beauty and the Beast size library). By using the library, I can read all the books I want without having to reorganize my shelves a thousand times.

You support your local community- Libraries are one of the main community centers in most towns and cities. My library has a variety of services, and they offer a lot of events, from author meet-and-greets to story-time hours for younger children.

Do you use the library or do you buy all of your books? Do you do both? Share in the comments below!