Only 40% of Brevard County has a Library Card?

Just read in Florida Today that only 214,715 Brevardians have public library cards. I’m guessing that the only other kind would be library cards for the universities (FIT, BCC, UCF, etc). I’m shocked that more of you don’t use the library.

We have one library card to use for our whole family to keep things simple, so even if other families do the same, maybe that number might get as high as 45 or 50%. And you really can’t count the college “library cards” anyway, since you are required to have one - it acts as your student ID on some campuses. Almost every student is dragged through some insipid class (usually Comm I) which “teaches” them how to use the library - how to find books, how to use your library card, how to use the cataloging system… ugh. When I was forced to go, there were a substantial number of students who were actually absorbing this “new” information. What were they doing for the 13 years of government subsidized education? Do I even want to know?

I have always had a library card (or two) and frankly, if I had to choose between a library card and a driver’s license, I’d choose the library card - unless I was pulled over at 2:00am by sheriff’s deputy in Columbia, South Carolina for doing 86 in a 55 and he had a few German Shepherds with him - but that’s another story for another time. What I’d like to find out from people who don’t have a library card (or don’t use the one they have) is… why? Although I love buying books, I couldn’t afford to buy everything I read. How do you get through life without a library card? I’m seriously curious.

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