Students Find Cheap and Reliable Entertainment in Local Libraries

Whether it's by going to the club meeting solely for the cupcakes, attending the town hall gathering for a better-quality dinner, or waiting in line for hours to get a ticket to a Broadway show during Urban New York, we all pay homage to the same magic word: free. As a student in New York City, the only thing better than spending a little money is spending nothing at all.

That said, there is often a dramatic chasm of quality between something scarcely paid for and something for which we don’t relinquish a penny. For example, pitching in with three friends to buy a mini-fridge for the suite: cheap. Hanging your milk in a plastic bag outside your window in winter: free.

Needless to say, experience has led me to lean toward the slightly less cost-effective option in return for the better product. Still, learning how to live without breaking the bank ranks up there with learning to use the 1 train effectively and finally finishing Herodotus—both highlights of my first year of college.

What I’m about to share with you is another cost-saving strategy that has proven to be a financial triumph. It came in the form of the New York Public Library, and it quickly became my personal Netflix—minus the $15 a month. Who knew that merely opening a library account at the branch a stone’s throw from campus would allow me the ultimate lazy pleasure—watching a DVD on my laptop?

The steps to attaining this technological joy are blissfully simple: sign up for a library card, walk straight to the nearest computer—avoiding the selection on the shelves—and request online whatever movie you desire. Though a few of the most recently released movies like Superbad and classic favorites like Raiders of the Lost Ark may have disappointingly-long request lines, the vast majority of titles arrive promptly at the Morningside branch within a matter of days.

As if the cost weren't reason enough to sign up, you get to keep movies for an entire week. And there’s no need to stop at movies—I’ve enjoyed multiple seasons of The West Wing and Sex and the City over the past term.

But this is not knowledge to abuse. Overdue fines will set you back $1 each day. However, prompt return or renewal when your seven days are up is a small price to pay to maintain this zero-cost magic.

Overall, I’d have to say the $5 late fee I forked over for The Notebook was a small price to pay for months of free movies—and the delight of seeing my boyfriend’s misty eyes when I convinced him to watch it over Thanksgiving break.