Do you know what resources your Local Library offers?

Scene of an aisle in a library with about nine rows of tall shelves filled with books fading into the distance

There is a huge range of material available in libraries today that you might find useful when you have a chronic illness.  If you are at home a lot or needing to slow down and rest it is helpful to have things to do that don’t require a lot of energy or money.

Libraries are generally free to join, check what ID you need before you go to join up.  You may need your driver’s license or other ID with your address, or a bill with your address on it.  You can normally join a library even if you don’t live nearby so if you are regularly in another area like for a particular doctor- think about exploring the shelves in another library.

Some library resources especially useful when you have a chronic illness.
Large print books are usually available for anyone to borrow and can make it easier to read a physical book.  The text is usually well spaced and may help when your concentration isn’t great.
Audio books on CD.  Browsing the shelf often turns up titles you haven’t heard of or ones you are reminded that you wanted to read.  It can be nice to have an old fashioned CD so you can put your phone down or slip the CD into the player in the car.  It is also a contained length of listening as it will stop at the end of the CD and helps conserve some mental energy or allows you to fall asleep.
eMagazines that you can read on your tablet or computer.
eBooks and eAudiobooks– through apps like Borrowbox and Overdrive from your app store and the your library card and pin to sign in.
-Some libraries in Australia have a home delivery service where a volunteer drops some books into housebound library members’ homes.
-Access the library catalogue online at home to keep track of when things are due back, renew items you have borrowed, reserve books online, request books from other branches of your library.

More ideas of what to look for at your library
-Music CD’s
-DVD documentaries
-DVD movies
-DVD TV series
-Children’s books/ books you enjoyed in primary school/high school.
-Classic novels like Winnie The Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Jane Austen’s books.
– ‘Coffee table books’/books with lovely pictures.
-Recipe books including for modified diets like gluten free, paleo, FODMAPs.  Read them to get ideas, you don’t have to convert to them.
-Books on a topic you want to explore
-Health/illness self-help books
-Easy to read novels
-New release books
-Best seller titles
-Non-fiction- memoir and biography
-Craft/Gardening/Travel
-Mystery/crime/thriller novels
-Language learning resources such as books, CD’s, and apps like Mango.

Comment below and let me know what you love about your library.

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