One thing we miss as full-time RVers is regular access to a good public library. When we had our stick-house, the Springfield Oregon public library was a regular hangout. We're not the only RVers who like to read. The big resorts all have at least a small lending library. Voyager, here in Tucson, has a pretty nice one. Even the smallest over-night stop parks almost always have some kind of book-trading spot. And, of course, there are good used-book stores in any city. We don't like to pay new-book prices, because we have to get rid of the books as soon as we've read them. Bookshelf space is limited in any rolling home.
But we've also discovered a great way to pick up good used books and contribute a little bit to the public library in the community where we're staying. Friends of the Library Book Sales are great. They sell withdrawn library books and donated materials. We've gone to these sales in San Diego, Louisville, Foley and now Tucson. This one was huge and it was hard to restrain ourselves. The Pima County Friends have a giant warehouse, from which they conduct several sales a year and in between sell on the Internet. They've given over five million dollars to the Library and community.
We contributed only twenty-one bucks to the cause. And for that we got enough to fill up all of our available book shelves. Here's our dining table stacked two-deep with good books waiting to be put away. Such a deal. We'll have reading material for quite a while down the road.
After we've read our books, especially the hardbacks, which are heavy, we often used this website when we give them away: http://www.bookcrossing.com
The premise of Bookcrossing is that you register your books and release them (into the wild); finders can let you know (anonymously) when and where they find your released book. It's fun for us, as travelers, to put our already-read books off on their own journey around the country and interesting when we get feedback about where they are found.
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