Green Things to Do in a Library

So this evening I was meta-dating my metadata and saw that someone stumbled on Gift of Green by googling "green things to do in a library." Hm. Never thought of that. But, as a librarian and as a wanna-greenie it got me thinking. So, your wish is my command whoever you are:

The Top Five Green Things to Do in a Library

1) Check out a book - yes indeed this is probably the greenest thing you can do period. Borrow a book instead of buying it and you are saving on paper, ink, transportation, printing, and not to mention you are saving cold hard cash.

2) Drop off your used books, magazines, DVDs, and audiocassettes - libraries use them mostly at book sales as library fundraisers, but drop off a relatively brand spankin' new copy of a popular work and that might by *your* donation sitting on the New Books shelf.

3) Use the Internet - How is this green? Oh, who knows. If the library is your only source of internet-access then I suppose you are probably saving yourself from the onslaught of junkmail that usually comes once your ISP has you in their grip.

4) Attend lectures and workshops - I am fortunate to live in a county with a great library system. You can learn how to knit, get help on starting your own small business, or learn English as a second language. From the Green angle you can bring in that leaf with the weird fungus on it for the Master Gardeners to take a look at or attend a lecture on winterizing your home. Love the lectures - and they are FREE!

5) Elect to receive all your overdue notices by email - Forget the waste of receiving your overdue notices by snail mail (I am told that people receive overdue notices - of course I know nothing about this and no I am not one of my library system's largest "contributors" when it comes to fines) have those bad boys sent to your email account and you'll never return a library book late again. Cough. Cough.

What kind of, ehem, green things do *you* do @ your library?

[This post is cross-posted on BlogHer]