I live in a relatively small, suburban city that does not have an apparent central Art's District hub where creative energies flock like major cities. The closest areas for art inspiration are usually the laid back independently-owned tea shops or coffee lounges where local artists hang their art prints on the wall to sell. I do enjoy seeing relatively unknown names getting their work displayed.
The obvious trouble with living in a smaller community is that it is difficult to figure out where all the comic lovers hang out. Given that the creation of comics is not traditionally a social endeavor since a lot of the creation process is done alone, I find my quest to find a social circle of people who enjoy the moderately antisocial activity of drawing webcomics unfulfilled.
The one outlet that I am very pleased about is that there are two public libraries in my city that carry an extensive collection of comic books and graphic novels. It had been too long since I had read printed comics before I started frequenting the library. It gives my eyes a chance to rest from staring at a back-lit screen all day. I love online comics, but I am sure my vision has dropped at least one point from the amount of comics I read from a computer screen. I am currently reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman series from the library and it is awesome. The other benefits of using a public library to read is that it is free (as long as I do not incur a late payment charge), it is not frowned upon like reading in a bookstore without paying, and I can renew the books up to two times until I finish reading them.
Sure my town does not have any arrows pointing to a comic community fan-base, but they do have a nicely stocked library for any comic-thirsty fan.
When was the last time you went to your local public library?
Does the library in your hometown carry a drool worthy comic collection?
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Making Use of the Public Library
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, May 11, 2015
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strixvanallen at 11:28AM, May 12, 2015
I don't go to libraries since I got my Chemistry major. After that, I started to work and buy my books and comics instead of borrow them. I miss having a public library nearby, they are the best environments for intellectual work. :/
HippieVan at 10:32AM, May 12, 2015
I used to love getting comics (and loads of other books) from the public library. I've largely switched over the used book stores, though. I'm horribly absent-minded so I think it actually works out to be cheaper for me, and less stressful.
tupapayon at 4:18AM, May 12, 2015
In this little town of mine I remember going to the library (also known as homeless center, though not officially) and check out the Japanese comic books... a section called MANGA... I read the entire Ranma 1/2 series (mostly complete, there were a couple volumes missing)... there's also the growing GRAPHIC NOVELS section, although it's modest in size, it's also very diverse... and talking to the homeless can be fun too...
Ozoneocean at 12:47AM, May 12, 2015
"bottom-feeding dreck of the big two" Ha! Another reason to love Gunwallace :D
Ozoneocean at 12:46AM, May 12, 2015
Good idea! The library is worth checking out... to see if I can check out some comics!
Banes at 6:26PM, May 11, 2015
I haven't visited a library in years either! There are several comics I desperately want to read but are too expensive. I don't know how the selection is in my little town but it's certainly worth a look!! When I used to use them, I really loved being in libraries. There's a great feeling in there. A calm that encourages...well, reading! Great post!
Gunwallace at 12:21PM, May 11, 2015
When picking my kids up from school I often go early and spend a hour or so reading comics in our public library. Most of the titles are the bottom-feeding dreck of the big two, but I once discovered a wonderful title 'Giants, Beware' that I then purchased for my kids.
VinoMas at 7:26AM, May 11, 2015
Oh, and little known fact...I got my degree in library science and have worked in elementary school librarians for 6 of my 15 year teaching career. It's a fantastic job! Iove keeping books in order and teaching kids library skills!
VinoMas at 7:24AM, May 11, 2015
I love the library...and don't use it as much as I should. I also don't return items on time so believe it or not going to the library can be quite expensive. I consider it my donation but overdue fees ain't cheap anymore...
Niccea at 6:49AM, May 11, 2015
We have been visiting a lot since hub found out about the comics and movie rentals.
KAM at 5:24AM, May 11, 2015
From around 2008 to 2014, Toshubi & I used to get together to draw at libraries. It was nice, if we needed an art or reference book we could check the library's collection. We could talk about art or story problems or just talk about some of our weird readers... I mean WONDERFUL readers! *gulp* *shifty eyes* It was fun.
KimLuster at 4:51AM, May 11, 2015
Great post! I haven't been to a public library in years! Never occurred to me they'd have comics there! Might have to check it out!!