Book stores or libraries: which do YOU prfer?

Question

no, honestly. what are the pluses and minuses to both, 'sides the obvs. (e.g. store+ read whenever you wish, newer, more meaning or library: save $, wide array of old and new to select, ect.

Answer 1

I prefer book stores for all the obvious reasons, as well as the safety.  You know that the books in the store are exact copies whereas books from a library are not necessarily in the best of shape.  There is no time limit also.  And I always like to build my own book collection.  It is always nice to own a novel.

Answer 2

the book store i go to is a marvellous place, where i can lose myself and accompanying people for hours, till the wife calls me on the cell and says shes done wasting money on the latest past fashions. I can find pretty much everything that has been written , or at least everything id be interested in, at barnes and noble. And i dont have to worry about missing or marked-on pages like at the library because they are all NEW books. Its a worthwile way to spend $400.00 on a saturday, trusting the wife doesnt get 1500.00 worth of useless high priced c**p

Answer 3

Book stores are great, for the simple reason that you can buy the books there instead of simply borrowing, but sometimes (especially in the newer ones) the atmosphere is not that great, or you find yourself being hassled into buying a book you're not sure you want.

Libraries are good for discovering books, and if you like the book you read then you can go to the bookstore to get it! Also, you can stay there for as long as you wish, and read in a quiet areas. But the books aren't always in great condition, and many a time have I opened a borrowed book, and crumbs have fallen out. Nice.

In my opinion, I prefer small, second hand bookstores, in which you have a real chance of finding beautiful copies of books, or obscure ones.

Hope that helps :)

Answer 4

I prefer libraries, hands down, because I have access to any book I want. If the library system that I use does not own the material I am looking for, I order the item through interlibrary and voila! I have received obscure 19th century novels of which there was only one printing, just for the asking. Too, I am possessed of abiding patience and will wait through the 875 holds on that currently popular novel everybody else wants to read, too. I have no hurry.

I am no longer in need of owning books except, of course, for dictionaries, so the bookstore is really of limited use to me nowadays.