One thing I remember from when I lived back home is that the libraries there have membership passes to certain events and sites. Library patrons can 'borrow' those passes to attend functions and events. I checked here, but didn't see anything similar, so I guess it isn't something standard that all libraries offer. Passes or tickets to many sites are very expensive these days, so this could be a huge money saver. If you're looking to attend a local site such as a museum or zoo, it might be worth it to check first to see if you can borrow passes from your local library.
I ran into someone earlier who volunteers at the local library. I mentioned to her about how back home, they have art work you can check out, and also the passes I mentioned above. She seemed very interested, so hopefully she will bring it up to them next time she goes to the library. The woman I was speaking to also mentioned that the books on the carts outside of the bookstore (still talking about the library, the bookstore sells used books), the books are all 3 for $1, versus slightly higher inside the bookstore. I wasn't aware of that, and they had a very good selection in the hallway. I haven't gone into the bookstore for a couple of years. One thing she mentioned is that the staff goes through donations, and anything that is of particular value is sold by the library, either on Amazon or eBay. I'm going to find out which, so I can check there when I'm looking to buy books. If I'm going to buy something of value, I'd just as soon my local community benefits from it, rather than some random seller/shop, so I'll find out their account, and will save them for future purchases. It just occurred to me that the next book in the series that I need is at the library branch next to my polling place, and I need to go there for early voting, so I guess I can save some gas and combine those errands.
