We’ve been thinking about fun, yet inexpensive, things to do. So today we took a little … make that bigg … trip to our local library.

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We’re in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Champaign’s brand new library is a state-of-the art facility. As we walked in the door, the first thing we noticed, that is different from the libraries of yore, is there’s a coffee shop! Remember the old “No food or beverages” signs. Not in this library! One thing that’s still the same – it’s a cool place to stay cool on a hot summer’s day. But don’t look for the card catalog! You won’t find one … everything’s on computer now. They also have flat screen TVs, Wi-Fi, and other modern technology.

What  did we check out?

While we were there, we checked out a few things – two audio books … Brian Tracy’s Goals and The Long Tail by Chris Anderson with Wired magazine … and Janet Switzer’s book Instant Income.

The price? FREE. It’s paid for by our property taxes.

They have tons of DVDs for FREE. Even the ones that are rentals are only $1 for a week. Right now, with so many of us looking for ways to save money, the library is a great place to go for cheap entertainment!

We’ve decided that we’re going to make it our “office away from the office”! It’s a great place to go for a change of scenery!

Don't do this!

We also found some real characters at the library. By observing them, we compiled a list of six things you should NOT do at the library:

#6 – While pointing to a very simple word like “the”, ask the person next to you if he or she can pronounce it for you.

#5 – Put down your book, then lean over and start reading the book of the person sitting next to you. When he or she looks at you, quickly pick up your book and act like you're reading it.

#4 – Read your book upside down.

#3 – Flip the page loudly every two seconds or so.

#2 – Announce the page number loudly each time you turn a page.

And the #1 thing you should not do at the library …

Break the silence with the noise from a bodily function … you know the one. Then say, "Wow! That was a good one!"

(Image by Dan O'Brien)