Your typical college student could show us all a thing or two about the benefits of reuse. You don't see brand new textbooks flying off the shelves of the campus bookstore. I'm sure the same is true at amazon.com and other sites scoured for bargains. With college costs skyrocketing, many see no reason to add to the pain by buying everything new.
This thinking easily extends to those of us not caught up in the whirlwind of back-to-school shopping. The library has always been an economic alternative to bookstores when we crave something to read. Usage numbers have increased with the downturn in the economy.
There is another local option for people who prefer to own the book they're reading. Annie's Book Stop, 132 Loudon Road, offers pre-read books at a 50 percent discount from their original list price. Even better, Annie's has a book swap program. You can bring up to 20 paperbacks to the store at a time. For each book accepted, you receive store credit toward future purchases.
I used to feel the need to keep every book I ever bought. I'm now eager to part with ones I know will only gather dust on my shelves. Trading books is a great way to keep reading and save some trees in the process.
