Libraries in the city are awesome
I use the Queens Library myself but have equally awesome things about Brooklyn & Manhattan’s libraries. The best part is printing anything out. I’ve given up on trying to find the right printer; they leak cash as quickly as they run out of ink. You just keep buying cartridges and it’s a never-ending process of being a slave to your printer.
But the library allows you to print up to 20 pages for free, at least that’s what the deal is in Queens. I’m not sure about the other boroughs. And, they have a DVD collection full of indie and foreign films that your local video store wouldn’t. And it’s all free, free, free!
Also, the benefit of printing at the library is that you don’t have a person who hates being there (FedEx Kinko’s) pretending to help you through your issues. Librarians are sweet as can be except they tend to have shorter tempers for teenagers.
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Libraries are awesome, though the ones here are fairly inconvenient to use, in my experience. The lack of book drops, short hours, and programming at times when most working people cannot attend make the libraries here the least usable I have ever encountered. The fact that I need 4 library cards for one city is also insane. The librarians here put up with a lot though, including people leaving their kids there like a babysitter, hence the short tempers.
And, yes, that is my professional opinion as a (non-public) librarian.