19 September, 2007

Where can I locate information on veganism/animal rights/vegan cooking/etc?

Now I don't want to disagree with the resident librarian, but I am going to.

I live in a small, sort of redneck-y town in NE Wisconsin. I went on Amazon to find a cookbook. I never thought about the library for some reason. Amazon will often recommend books based on past selections, so this led me to find more and more cookbooks and AR books.

I kept buying books and realized that I was spending quite a bit of cashola. So then, I thought: library. So I went to my local library and did a search on words like; vegan, veganism, animal rights, and I even tried vegetarianism. My library had SIX books. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Three of these were anti-animal rights hunting publications. I had the feeling I was barking up the wrong tree.

From there I decided to try the local colleges. My luck wasn't much better and I would have to pay a fairly hefty fee to be a "friend of the library". To top it off, neither of the schools were in a convenient location.

So whats a vegan girl in a cheese laden town to do? Well, I ration my book purchases. I really only allow myself to buy two a month. Really, I can't read much more than that.

Another option is to create wish lists. Amazon started this process but now most online companies have this option. You can go to the company and start a list of the books/videos/items you desire. Then when Aunt Edna says she has no idea what to get you for your birthday/wedding/insert holiday here, you can direct her to said website to purchase directly off your personalized wish list.

Lastly, if you know enough vegans with an interest, start a book club. That way you can all share your knowledge, make friends, and good vegan food. No one loses in that situation!

1 comment:

  1. I'm sorry to hear that the libraries nearest you aren't very accommodating. It's such a crapshot; I live in a city that's not very veg-friendly but I have access to libraries with decent and current vegan and AR materials.

    I'm all for wishlists (and doing book swaps) but generally the library is a decent option when you're unsure of purchasing a book, or if you're like me, have limited funds.

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