Do you get offers for free things?

     When I opened my email this morning, I found a friend had forwarded to me a coupon for a free Blizzard.  She asked if I would print the coupon for her and go with her to get a Blizzard for her birthday.
     This is the same friend that occasionally sends me coupons for free cat food.
     Then in another email I received an offer for a free cup of coffee if I visited a local coffeehouse. 
     Another email offered me a free Halloween e-card to send to my friends.
     Do you get offers for free things?  Do you ever wonder how really free they are?
     I sat for a good while and thought about all the free things we are offered on a daily basis.  And I wondered what the connection to being really free was with all these offers.
     If you read this blog fairly often, you probably realize that somehow I tie all the stuff I talk about back into our library.  My brain just seems to work that way.  Maybe it's because of where I am when I write the blog.  Maybe I just like my job.  Maybe I just like libraries.
     But you know, where can you get as much free stuff as you can at the library?  Think about it.
     Right now, down in the wildly colorful Children's Library, there's a free children's program going on.  About 30 little people and their caretakers are listening to Miss Norma's storytime.
     There are free books, audio and paper, available for check-out.  And stacks of free magazines to read, not only subscriptions to the library, but free magazines you can take home with you.  Free DVDs and VHS movies to check out also.
     Don't forget the free Internet and the free use of Dell computers, as well as free access when you bring your own laptop.
     And I don't want to forget the Bookmobile, which travels to our patrons all around Colquitt County, delivering free books to those who can't make it to the library in town.
     Free to me means you can use all this stuff free with just your very own library card.  And even getting a library card is free.  Do you know that some places charge for a library card?
     When it's hot outside, we have comfortable chairs and couches and tables to work at, in the comfort of free air conditioning.  When it's cold outside, you can find those same free conveniences available for your use, as well as the warmth of our heating system.
     We don't even charge a fee to use our free restrooms.
     And if you're in the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library, you'll find free access to Ancestry.com, the deluxe library edition, plus many more genealogy databases.
     Don't forget the free use of our meeting rooms.  That's right, we don't charge a single cent.
     Well, if that's not enough, just remember we have free parking, not only in front of the library, but also in the parking lot adjacent to the genealogy library.
     And we have all the free help you could ask for, pertaining to library stuff, of course.  Just ask.  We're more than delighted to give you any free information we can.
     So, are you tired of hearing the word free?  Just look at all the free things we are offering you.
     Makes the word free, really free, sound good, doesn't it?