Westerly Sun Column | Library a 1-Stop Shop for Your Resolutions

It’s a beautiful morning, in a brand new week of a brand new year! If you’re a person who thrives on new beginnings and New Year’s resolutions, you may be putting those into motion today. For others, perhaps your biggest goal is just to write the correct year on your checks. Both are acceptable, and no matter where you fall in-between, the library is a valuable tool for you this New Year.

One of the most common resolutions is to save money, and if this applies to you, the library should be your first visit. Hardcover books cost anywhere between $25 to $40 apiece, so even if you just purchase one a month you’re looking at $300+ a year! An Audible subscription is about half the cost, and purchasing used books is even cheaper, but it all still adds up. Your library card, on the other hand, will cost you absolutely nothing; in return, you have access to the books in the entire state of RI library system, hundreds of thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks, plus the newest movies, music, comics, etc. Most of our materials are now fine-free, so you don’t even have to worry about racking up bills if you forget to return them on time. Not only will you be saving money on reading materials, but you can check out books like “Personal Finance 101” by Alfred Mill, “Money Magic” by Laurence J. Kotlikoff, or even “Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home”. I did mention it’s free, right? Truly, it’s a no-brainer.

The New Year is also a popular time to new hobbies.  Want to get into bird watching? Check out “Birds: An Illustrated Field Guide” by Alice Sun. Try your hand at cake decorating with “Showstopping Cakes” by Rahul Mandal, or flex your artistic muscles with “Classic Calligraphy for Beginners” by Younghae Chung. For a truly unique hobby, take a look at “Cat-hair Hats for Cats” by Rojiman & Umatan. Of course, we have more than books to help you get started: take a deep dive into your family history with Ancestry library edition, which can be accessed for free from within the library building. Learn a new language with Mango Languages, which can be accessed on your mobile device. Take a class on Khan Academy or Udemy, both of which are available from our website. We also have a host of clubs that meet up at the library, like our Tuesday Knit and Crochet group, our monthly Maker Club, or the Thursday night Chess Club. Check out our online calendar at www.westerlylibrary.org for a full list of events, or browse our collection of books and other materials on our catalog, https://catalog.oslri.net/. No matter what your goals are this year, I guarantee you’ll find something to help you on your journey.

By Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian