LIVING ROOM: Books Borrowed and Bought

A discussion with my good friend Gioia in Washington Heights (NYC) sparked this entry to The Green Apartment. Gioia is very proud about her consumption of used books, and for good cause! As with most shopping habits, trying to be a responsible consumer of the printed word is tied to using as little resources as possible. Below are resources you can use to feed your need -happy hunting!

Libraries. The U.S. public library system is an easy, free, and generally familiar way to take advantage of used books. Before going back to school, I must admit that it had been quite a while since I had stepped into a library branch. Gioia, too, claimed that she was not within a reasonable distance from a branch. She was wrong - sorry G! There is one just six "short-blocks" away from her apartment!

The nicest thing about libraries these days? Most library systems, including the New York Public Library and my Boston Public Library, allow you to reserve and renew books online, and you can even request for them to be delivered from other branches. That way you know before you head out that you're not wasting a trip to pick up your literature of choice! Not sure where your nearest public library branch is? Check out this handy library search!

Book Exchanges. My problem (or one of them, anyways) is that I am overly attached to my books. Even as a child, I always treated them with great care, and I loathed to give them up, even temporarily, for fear that they will come back with pages folded back and stained or spines cracked from improper storage. While I've gotten more trusting in my book-lending habits, I still love my growing collection. If you, like me, are looking for free books to keep for your very own, or if you are looking to unload some that are taking too much space in your Green Apartment, here are some websites that might put you on the right track:

• Freecycle.org - A network of gift-givers. People post items they want to find or to get rid of, and their fellow freecyclers respond in kind. Everything is exchanged for free. Very cool.
  
• Craigslist - While most of you Apartmenters have probably checked out CL to find roommates, buy a guitar, or search for jobs, perhaps you haven't checked out two of their handy sections: Free, and Books. Often you can find books for almost nothing!

Bricks and Clicks. There are many fine purveyors of used books scattered across every city I've lived in. These range from those selling rare antique volumes to those in a dollar-bin jumble. My current favorites in the Boston area include Brookline Booksmith and Boston Book Annex, and in Minnesota, Half Price Books, mostly because I'd much rather support an independent book-seller than the alternative. Plus, you have to love the Boston Book Annex's feline shop-keepers. You can find your nearest used book seller (and lots of other independent businesses) on Yelp.com.

There are many online used book sellers, including Abe Books, and Half.com (a branch of eBay). Though somewhat obvious, Amazon.com hosts an impressively robust selection of used books from sellers worldwide. I've always had good luck through them for both text and personal books, though I generally check out the seller's rating before making my purchases.

Where do you get your used books? Leave a comment telling where it is and why you're a fan!