The unexpected luxury of my local library

local libraries are awesome and you should 100% check yours out

my spot at the local library

Two years ago, I walked into my local public library and was instantly smitten. It looked straight out of Architectural Digest: leather lounge chairs, book-lined walls, perfect lighting. I purchased a card for $30 and haven’t been the same ever since.

Local libraries are awesome. Mine feels luxurious even. If you haven’t been in a while, it’s time to check it out. Get a library card, bring your laptop, silence your phone, and browse the stacks. Depending on where you live, your local library may be more fabulous than you realize — and even if not, it’s still worth checking out.

A better “third space” than the coffee shop

For years, the coffee shop was my go-to place to write. The library is even better. It’s quieter, more private, and you don’t have to buy an overpriced latte to linger. The wifi is free and fast. And, of course, you’re surrounded by books.

Starbucks founder Howard Schultz described his cafes as a “third space” — neither home nor work. But libraries were the original third space, and they’re nicer: no crowds or empty cups, plus free books and newspapers.

Saves hundreds of dollars, literally

I first visited the library after analyzing my Amazon purchasing history. I realized I’d finished only one out of every eight books purchased — one out of eight! Ugh!! I’d fallen in love with the idea of reading those books more than actually reading them. And every year, I’d donate stacks of barely cracked volumes to Goodwill — reminders of my failures to follow-through.

So, I got a library card. Now I can sample books without spending a dime. It’s saved me hundreds of dollars, and if my library doesn’t have a title I want, they’ll order it — incredible, right? Why even bother with Amazon for books?

The next best thing to a fraternal club

Next week, I’m joining a short story group at the library to discuss Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” If it’s anything like last year’s group, it will include a dozen sharp older women with coifed hair, myself, and a couple of other guys. The moderator is a literature professor I’ve gotten to know who splits her time between our area and London. We’ll discuss the story roundtable-style, and most of us will offer psycho-sexual analyses while projecting our own experiences onto the characters. Should be fun!

Libraries can be as social as any club, but instead of admission fees and family pedigree, membership is based on curiosity and openness — and open to all. I love the library at the University Club in New York overlooking 54th & 5th. But why pay those dues when your local library offers a broader array of people and conversations?

Aristocratic and sexy aesthetics

There’s something undeniably aristocratic, sexy, and nostalgic about libraries: stacks of books, the Dewey Decimal system, the smell of paper and leather. The way newspapers hang on the wall, the meeting rooms buzzing with discussion, the activity calendar pinned on the wall. And let’s not forget the adorable, mousy librarian who lights up when you ask for a recommendation.

One of my favorite meeting spots in New York is the Library Bar at the Nomad Hotel. It’s plush, private by NYC standards, and surrounded by books. They’ve nailed the luxury-library aesthetic. But again: why pay a premium when your local library offers all that and more?

a simulacrum of my local library. Library Bar, Nomad Hotel NYC

A sanctuary from noise

Shhhh! Imagine a space where silence is the norm and shushing people is normalized. Heavenly.

Libraries are like the quiet car on Amtrak’s Acela — one of the few places where it’s socially acceptable to scowl at loud talkers. Phone calls? Outside, please. Videos without headphones? Straight to jail!

The best kind of cultural imperialism

I joked once that I was going to make going to the library high-status again. A friend replied that it already is, given America’s declining literacy rates. He had a point. Forty-six percent of Americans read zero books last year. Zero! All the more reason to go on the cultural offensive and broaden access to literacy and reading.

Call me an elitist, it’s partly true, but I am no snob. What I love about libraries is they’re open to everyone. I love seeing people of all ages, races, and walks of life united by one thing: books. The luxury of the library is there for the taking, for anyone. If encouraging people to read more constitutes cultural imperialism, then hell yes, guilty as charged. We need more of it.

An incredible cause for public good

Until recently, I thought local libraries were relics. How wrong I was. Public libraries are a social investment — promoting literacy, access to technology, safe community spaces, and support for kids and elderly. They’re one of the few remaining bulwarks against social fragmentation and shallow culture.

We have Andrew Carnegie to thank for that. Carnegie funded the construction of over 2,500 libraries worldwide, including 1,679 in the United States alone. His initiative is considered one of the most successful philanthropic ventures ever. It boosted literacy and education in countless communities. Imagine what’s possible if the billionaires of our era took a page from Carnegie and invested in extending the benefits of public libraries even further — by making more of them as appealing as mine is, for example.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburg, one of 2,500+ libraries built with funding from Andrew Carnegie

A coming-full-circle experience

Before rediscovering the local library, I hadn’t set foot in one since my early teens, when I’d roam the stacks at Lake Oswego Public searching for books on sex. Grotesque pictures of venereal diseases were seared in my memory for life — seriously. Later, I found Portland’s iconic Powell’s Books, studied in college libraries, and browsed DC’s neighborhood stores like Kramer’s, where Bill Clinton bought Monica Leaves of Grass. Eventually, Amazon claimed my reading habits.

But now I’m back, and it feels like coming home. I realize not all local libraries look like mine, but they’re still a great resource. If you haven’t been to yours, you should 100% check it out.