Instructify

The library will always be a refuge for cheapskates like me. For as much as I read, I have a pretty lackluster bookshelf at home–mostly just leftover textbooks from college, mangled paperbacks, and my copy of Kent Montana and the Reasonably Invisible Man. Who needs to buy a book when I can read it for free by checking it out from the library? And now that WorldCat is around, I can count on spending even less cash at the bookstore.

WorldCat lets you search by title, author, subject, all that stuff. You also enter your ZIP code. WorldCat will search the catalogs of nearby libraries and tell you where to find the closest copy. If your library isn’t a part of the WorldCat network, mention it to your friendly neighborhood librarian. If you happen to be a friendly neighborhood librarian, WorldCat is a good way to lure bookworms to your library, and the site has directions for joining (I don’t think it’s free, though).

WorldCat is a great way to find free reading near you. Most of the time, anyway. Turns out if I want to read Kent Montana and the Once and Future Thing, I’ve got to drive 176 miles. –BILL FERRIS

Related Stuff:
Check out ibiblio, the Online Library