Qiaio

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Learn to love the

library!

Douglas College libraries offer oodles of free fun ,

By Sharon Miki

and everyone from the toddler I babysit

to my 96-year-old grandma has an iPad,
it’s natural to start thinking of entertainment
as cyberspace-based. Still, a simple trip to
my local campus library recently reminded
me that not all amusements are pay-to-play.
In fact, I found that the Douglas College
libraries are stuffed with more than just
homework and educational resources—
they’re full of nifty books, videos, and
devices to borrow and enjoy on a student’s
budget (i.e. for free).

I: a world where “Netflixing” is a verb

Books

Obviously, the first thing that comes to
mind when someone says “library” is books
(Unless, of course, you’re playing Scrabble.
In that case, you might think of how many
points that jerk is going to get). And boy,
do the libraries have books! However, the
library has more than mammoth tomes on
molecular biology. There are also many
delightful and recent releases of new and
noteworthy novels and non-fiction. For
example, the library stocks several current
Amazon best-sellers like Emma Donoghue’s
Room, Kathryn Stockett’s The Help (now

a major motion picture!) and Michael
Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table.

Moreover, the library also carries
titles from many Douglas College
instructors— reading them is a great way to
support local writers and also to remind us
that teachers continue to exist outside of the
classroom. My personal recommendations
from Douglas leaders include collections
of poetry from the Creative Writing
department’s Elizabeth Bachinsky (Home of
Sudden Service) and Calvin Wharton (The
Song Collides).

Newspapers and Magazines
Why waste your dollars on hefty
subscription fees for periodicals when there
are up-to-date copies just waiting to be
read in the library? The library subscribes
to local papers like the Vancouver Sun and
The Province as well as global papers like
the National Post. While papers do have a
one-hour loan period, how long does it really
take to read a paper?

If you’re more into magazines, you
can peruse the magazine and periodical
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sections at your leisure. While magazines
can’t leave the library, you can find a cuddly
chair or cubicle and dig into new copies of
big-name glossies like the New Yorker or
Rolling Stone.

DVDs

   

at a

My favourite entertainment feature of the
library, by far, is the DVD rental section.
Sure, you could probably just download
Paul Blart: Mall Cop if you wanted to
watch something, but the selection of titles
available in the library are more than just
convenient—there are a lot of interesting,
high-quality films to be seen that I would
probably never otherwise consider. At my
visit, I found critically acclaimed Hollywood
movies like the Coen brothers’ A Serious
Man alongside a variety of artsy and foreign
titles like Good Bye, Lenin and Sin Nombre.
You can give yourself an excuse to eat
popcorn and up your cultural capital street-
cred all at once—at no cost! One caveat:
videos and DVD’s can only be borrowed for
two days at a time, so make sure you return
them on time.

Well, what are you waiting for? Pull out
your library card (which is actually just your
student card that you need anyways to write
exams and use your U-Pass) and venture
forth for some wallet-friendly fun!