Discover and Go

I am a HUGE fan of the public library. I've always loved our libraries, but they just keep getting better and better. Almost everyone knows that you can check out books and other materials, participate in book clubs, and attend storytime, classes, and lectures at your local library. But too few people are aware of the hundreds of other services available at local libraries. I've never used them for tax prep or lawyer consultations, nor have I received free tutoring, gotten assistance researching genealogy, or checked out musical instruments or video games. (I have checked out a lot of movies and board games.) I have used the library to work when the power was out at home, as a place to hang out between appointments, somewhere to meet up with friends, and as an escape from the weather. We frequently visit libraries when we travel, like this memorable library in Kansas City. 

I could go on and on about what an incredible treasure public libraries are to me and to society as a whole, but today I want to focus on one of my favorite library resources. It's called Discover & Go. 

Discover & Go is a partnership between libraries and places like museums, zoos, science centers, theaters, and more. Through Discover & Go, California library cardholders can check out free or heavily discounted passes to approximately 90 fabulous attractions. To get a pass, you simply log on using your library card, then search by date or location. Here are the first two locations (alphabetically) available to me as a cardholder for today, 3/3. 

As you can see, the Asian Art Museum D&G pass offers free admission to 2 adults and all children under 12. General admission is $20 per adult (children 12 and under are always free), so our family could save $40 with this pass. The Beat Museum offers free admission for 1 person, a savings of $8 for an adult. Our family has saved hundreds of dollars using Discover & Go, in addition to introducing us to museums we didn't even know existed. We actually haven't been to either the Asian Art Museum or the Beat Museum yet; when we do, I'll be using Discover & Go. 

Yea for libraries!