I love libraries; however they can sometimes be overwhelming places, especially for autistic & ADHD people. There are so many books, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start.
Sensory overload is real, and all those shelves of books, while they fill me with joy and excitement, sometimes I don’t know where to start. Decision fatigue is real.
My biggest tip for navigating the library is to get to know the librarians. They can point you in the right direction of various books & resources (yes, it can be scary talking to strangers, however librarians are awesome people). You can even ask them for some recommendations and they will find the books on the shelves for you and help you through the whole process of borrowing them if it’s been a while (and even if you need it explained often as you’ve forgotten).
If librarians are scary, the catalogue is there to help. I find this is more useful when I know what I’m looking for already… Although you can put in the name of an author you like to see all the books they have by that author. If a book you want isn’t there, you can request it through the website.
I also enjoy browsing the displays. Often there are books there I may never have considered and turn out to be amazing. Some of these books turned into new favourites with authors I look for again and again.
Many libraries also have an option where you can let them know (often through their website) what sorts of books you like, and the librarians will choose them for you, ready to pick up. Some libraries have self serve options for check out so you don’t have to talk to anyone!
If you borrow books, you also don’t have to read them if you find they’re not right for now. You can simply return them and no one asks if you’ve read them!
Best of all, most libraries no longer have fines if you have overdue books (one thing that stopped me borrowing for a while… hello executive dysfunction).
Whether you are looking for one book or more than one, libraries are a great place.
Don’t forget you can also do things like connect to the Internet, read magazines & newspapers, attend author events, and more.
For those with the sunflower lanyards, most libraries (at least in Victoria) recognise this and are ready to give you any help you may need, or leave you alone to browse at your leisure.
