In every city I’ve ever lived in, I try to find out where the local library is located and make sure to pay a visit. And best of all - it’s free! It’s also a plus if it’s located in nice building too.

This is the Chicago Public Library where I like to visit if I am ever in the area again. One thing I remember about Chicago was that it was one windy city!

It’s a beautiful building we don’t usually see in the west coast.  It is design in the Beaux-Arts Classicism revival style. This style is an academic classicism taken from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

This building was the first permanent home of the Chicago Public Library in 1897, it is now the Chicago Cultural Center.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1976.

Image source:  Mary Ann Sullivan of Bluffton University, Ohio.

In case anyone is curious, here is a list of the top 10 largest libraries provided by American Library Association, www.ala.or , Aug. 2005.

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Sometimes I think I have too many books and not enough space for them.  So every year I try to get rid of some, but then I get newer ones.  Someday I may just go digital, it would save trees and save me space too.

The local used bookshop that I usually go to trade books are OK.  You don’t get much money from it, but you get store credits toward other used books. The prices aren’t so good, it’s about 30% off new books.  And I haven’t been able to find what I wanted there either.

I guess I could donate them to charity shops, but then I’m not so sure if someone would actually want the books.  It would be nice if someone had actually wanted my books, then I would know it went to a good place.  Just sentimental about certain things sometimes.

In the meantime, I just found out about BookMooch.  It’s a community for exchanging used books.  BookMooch lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.  Sounds like a good idea!

Just visit BookMooch for more info.

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If you’ve always wanted to publish your own books, there are many ways to do it.  Thanks to some online self publishing services.  I haven’t tried any of them myself, but I thought it would be good to know what is available.

Lulu.com: This place allows you to publish and sell your book on their website.  In 5 easy steps, you are on your way. They provide the templates and layout, but you are not able to change them.  A standard B&W softcover book,  100 pages, would cost about $5.50 to publish.  Mininum pages to print is about 35 or more.  You can also add ISBN for distribution through Amazon.com. But there is a selling fee.  Be sure to read the fine print.

Below is one of the books sold at Lulu - children section.  Saving Pocket, a true story by Elizabeth Bernays and Linda Gheen.  $13.80

Printed: 34 pages, 7.5″ x 7.5″, perfect binding, full-color interior ink.  Description:  “This is the true story of a desert cottontail rabbit that the authors raised from birth after the death of her mother. They photographed her growth and her release into the wild, as well as her continued progress in the desert.”

Createspace:  Since they are part of Amazon.com, you can get free distrubition with Amazon.  They don’t provide hardcovers, just softcovers.  It’s the only one of the self publishing services that let’s you create an ebook in the Kindle format.  Standard B&W starts at $3.66 per book; Standard Color starts at $6.55.