There’s so much there. From books on every topic imaginable to online resources just waiting to be used, there are lots of reasons to enjoy your local library.

Aurora, Bath, Belhaven, Washington — wherever you are in Beaufort County, there’s a library nearby. Just in the vicinity of Washington, there are three options. In addition to the Washington branch of the BMH library system, there’s the city’s Brown Library and Beaufort County Community College’s library. A short drive away in Greenville, Joyner Library on the campus of East Carolina University is open and accessible to the public.

Libraries are an investment in public education. Every person is equal in the library, from the millionaire to the person living on the street. Both can access the same items, and there is no pay wall for learning. There’s no tuition and the doors are open to all who would learn.

They are a bastion against ignorance and misinformation. In a time when facts are irrelevant and so much we see online is unsubstantiated garbage, libraries preserve truth, wisdom and facts, neatly curated and organized for our convenience. They encourage research, giving curious minds the tools to dig beyond sound bites and talking points.

Libraries are repositories of human history and all the things people have ever done. Almost everything a person on this earth has ever done, from climbing a mountain to building a submarine, has been documented and recorded in text. Those same ideas and the blueprints they followed, are available to us today, free of charge, thanks to the library.

All this doesn’t even begin to touch on the programs libraries offer. From engaging activities to kids programming to lecture series and classes for adults, there’s something for everyone there.

Couple all that with online resources that allow access to movies, audio-books and e-books, as well as powerful research tools, and the only limit to the library’s potential is one’s own imagination. For readers, dreamers and doers, there is no better place to be.

So what are you waiting for? A library card might be the last free thing in this world. Go pick one up and start a new adventure in learning.