I Got a Library Card // Random Rambling
I honestly don’t know why I’m writing about this relatively unremarkable occasion, but until a few weeks ago, a library card was a foreign concept to me. In a way, it still is.
I come from a place that does not have a strong (or existing) “library culture”. Unless you attend a private school, you’d be hard pressed to have access to a good library. And because that’s the norm where I’m from, it never occurred to me when I came to the U.S for uni that there’d be working public libraries. And so, I never had any reason to look for one in my area.
In case you’re wondering, I’m a Nigerian international student in the States.
Now, I know that I can’t speak for the whole of Nigeria, but based on my personal experience, even the (very few) public libraries that are available in most areas are primarily for academic purposes. Which means that bookworms like me can’t visit those libraries expecting to find popular fiction.
A similar attitude extends towards bookstores, whereby unless you’re in a bigger city, there aren’t a lot of places you can buy books. In the city where I live, the only bookstore available is a Christian bookstore. So, even though the owner makes sure to stock new books as soon as they’re released, all those books (including the YA ones) are by Christian authors, written for Christian readers, featuring Christian characters going about their Christian lives. So, not a lot of diversity. Also, not a lot of adventure or fantasy or science fiction, since most of those kinds of books tend to be contemporary romance.
Things might have changed since I last went home, but I doubt it.
Anyways, a few weeks ago, I came across Kat’s post about how she accesses books from Japan. That’s when I learned about the magic that is Overdrive and online public libraries. Then I had to actually locate the library near me (which I didn’t even know existed, because it’s in a very obscure part of town that I don’t visit often because I don’t have a car, and the public transport system in my small college town leaves a lot to be desired).
There was a bit of anxiety on my part when I finally found the library but couldn’t get enough information about the card application process (as an international student, there are some rights that don’t apply to me, and I was worried that owning a library card would be one of those rights). But I took the plunge between classes one day and went to the library, and to my surprise, the application process was very brief and easy.
I now know that there are many things that we take for granted, depending on where you’re from. If you’re from certain countries, you probably take it for granted that you have a good library system, and therefore have ready access to free books. On the other hand, if you’re from some other countries, you probably take it for granted that if you want a book, you have to move mountains, as well as pay through your nose to get that book. Because that’s your normal.
So here I am, a new holder of a library card, trying to figure out how the online library system works, because I only got the card for the e-books.
How do you get the books you read? Do you visit the library often?
14 Comments
Jennifer
Wow – congratulations! That is one good thing about the US – there are a lot of free, public libraries for the residents to use. I miss that very much! And I am glad you shared what it was like for you in Nigeria. I think it is important for us – especially from the US – to see how other countries access (or have trouble accessing) books.
Enjoy your new card!
Ibukun
Thank you!
Lydia
Congratulations on your library card! I hope you find many interesting book at the library. I enjoyed reading your description of what libraries are like in Nigeria. Wow, that’s different than North American culture! Does the average Nigerian family who likes to read buy all of the non-academic books they want to read, then?
Here in Ontario, there are libraries in every community. The government party that’s currently in power has cut so much funding to the libraries, though, that many libraries no longer have the money or time to loan out their books to other libraries. (Lots of librarians have lost their jobs or been forced to go to part-time hours). So now you can only borrow books from the library system in your city. It’s not an issue where I live, but people in small towns have had trouble finding the books they need.
Ibukun
Thank you! Yes, most Nigerians buy all the non-academic books they want to read. It’s a hectic process, because books are not exactly cheap, especially when you have to order them online.
Libraries should be such a fundamental thing. I can’t think of why the government would be comfortable with cutting library funds.
DB's Guide to the Galaxy
Yay!! Congrats on the library card! My library back home definitely does not have new books and it takes long for them to get new books in – if you request them – so I definitely loved it when I came to stay with my aunt and uncle, and getting a library card here and realising there’s tons of books to read – books I can read anywhere!
Ibukun
Thank you! The difference between a place with good libraries and another with not so good libraries is stark, isn’t it?
Kristina
This post warms my heart ! With so many things the US do wrong, Giving full access to a free library card to international students is amazing! You’ll see, Overdrive isn’t that complicated at all and once you’ll get the hang of it you’ll be fine ❤️ Enjoy your new library, my dear!
Ibukun
Thank you ❤
Sam
Congrats on getting a library card! I tend to forget that the library system isn’t a universal system and it is posts like these that make me realize and appreciate more these realizations and benefits of where I live. I hope you enjoy your new library card and that many great stories are consumed with it! Happy reading!
Ibukun
Thank you!
Haley
I loved this post, we used our libraries all the time back home in the US and we use the one here in the UK quite often as well, they’ve had so many programs for my daughter and I’ve been so lucky, I wish that they were like an international thing, had some sort of standard globally and that we all just had amazing access to books/ebooks and such. We can dream I suppose
Ibukun
Thank you! We can dream indeed. It doesn’t help that big publishers are centred in one area, so other parts of the world are not a priority to them.
em||zayn.a.
i live in nigeria too, so i guess you know the situation. libraries are scarce, practically nonexistent and its a thing that makes me feel so sad. my secondary school though, had a pretty impressive diary not very diverse, but it was great. getting books is really tough, kindle is unavailable, shipping is expensive, so i usually get ebooks usually from kobo, if its available, and now scribd my cousin ships me books, that i buy to her place, when she can and from friends whose collection i read. i actually have a blog post coming up sometimes about the difficulties of being a book lover in nigeria, because its a huge struggle.
Ibukun
You’ve said it all! It’s really a struggle. I try not to think too hard about how different things are compared to other countries, but I only have that luxury because I now have access to a system that’s better.