News flash: people don’t just have sex in the library stacks, they also learn about sex at the library! Wait, what? Yesiree – sometimes the library is the perfect place to read about sex because people can anonymously scour the shelves and/or computerized card catalog for their book of interest and read it in a corner of the library or check it out and take it home to read. And it is FREE, which is pretty cool.

A few weeks ago at a party, a friend told me that there were 6 – count ‘em, SIX – holds at the library to read my book about having ooh-ahh-wow sex, Because It Feels Good. That means that someone had it currently checked out and a total of 6 more people had reserved their place in line once it was brought back. Hoozah! Exciting, right, that so many people are interested to read my book. But also kind of frustrating that they have to wait so long for it.

This got me thinking that (a) my local library needs to get more than one copy of Because It Feels Good! (Another branch just ordered one, which should help things along, though I may donate a copy to the main branch, too) and (b) we need to help our libraries out! Not just with my book but with whatever books have made an impact in our lives. As much as people sometimes have strange ideas that libraries are going out of style (they’re not, actually, they’re just underfunded in many communities), many people still go to the library as a major source of their reading, education and/or magazines or books.

So, if there is a book or two that has made a difference in your life, please consider donating a copy to your local library. Perhaps it is a sex book for teenagers or for adults or a “how babies are made” book for children. Maybe it’s an adorable children’s book (I always liked the Little Critters Series, the Bearenstein Bears, The Stupids Step Out and Leo the Later Bloomer). And there are tons of literary fiction and non-fiction books that inspired me to feel, dream, wonder, sulk, commiserate and to want.

Not sure where your local library is or what it is they want or need in terms of books, funding, staff or other resources? Find your local library through this web site and ask them. You might also check out Literacy Connections to learn more about adult literacy programs if you are interested in volunteering in your community or learning more about how you can help adults learn to read, which is a critical skill for learning not just about health information (like how to protect oneself against STIs or to get tested for them) but also to do things like complete a job application or read a contract or legal agreement.

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