9 Great Reasons to Office at the Library While on Vacation (Even When You Don’t Want To)

So you’re going on vacation. But you may need to steal away to check your email, take a call, or get some work done.

Don’t beat yourself up too much — it happens. Instead, head to the local library where you can get some heads-down work done and get back to the vacation as soon as possible. Here are nine reasons to work at the library while on vacation, even if you’d rather be poolside.

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1. Reliable Wifi

Hotel wifi can be slow, expensive and spotty. Head to the local library for a reliable, fast connection.

2. Rooms for Making Calls

Many libraries have meeting rooms, study room and other areas that may be appropriate for making business calls. Research local offerings ahead of time to save yourself the stress of looking for a quiet place as the call begins.

3. Utilize reference librarians

Working while on vacation doesn’t have to mean working alone. Reference librarians are available to help with questions, information, next steps and, of course, any local reference materials you may need to access.

4. Tackle your email

One of the worst things about taking a vacation is coming home to an avalanche of email. For some of us, checking email midway through a vacation is not a burden, it’s a way to stay sane and keep the email workload manageable.

If you don’t want to use your thumbs on your phone to tap out emails, and you didn’t bring your laptop along, pop into a library and schedule time to use their computers to check in with your work world, if necessary.

5. Business amenities

Do you need a printer, copier or scanner? You could hunt down the nearest office supply store, buy a day pass to a coworking space, or you can head to the library to use theirs. If you get stuck, ask the nearest librarian for assistance — they’re masters of troubleshooting printer and scanner issues.

6. Library coworking

A growing number of libraries have coworking areas or designated coworking times. If you’re new to coworking, it’s a way to work independently in the company of other independent professionals. For many of us, coworking is vastly superior to working independently by ourselves.

Check out local library offerings where you are to see if they offer any coworking. You can connect, boost your productivity, give yourself some scheduling accountability, and maybe even grow your professional network.

7. Get some heads-down work done

Perhaps the biggest benefit to working out of the library while on vacation is to get some focused, heads-down work done so you can then get back to the good times as quickly and efficiently as possible. Libraries are quiet, focused spaces full of people working, creating and learning. Let yourself get swept up in the energy and get some stuff done.

8. Discover the local small business landscape

Libraries are hubs for local freelancers, small businesses and entrepreneurs. Check out the local business ecosystem to see what’s going on while you’re visiting. You may find networking meetups, professional development events, a workshop, a lecture or more. Bonus: At these events you can connect with other business owners and professionals and expand your network.

9. Get all your work done in one sitting rather than stretching it out over your vacation

I know, I know, vacations are for relaxing, not working. I could definitely be better about this. We’re probably going to look back on this era, where we couldn’t even break away from email for a few days, with a sigh and a head shake.

But, this is where we are. So, if you must get some work done while on vacation, get it all done in short, efficient bursts at the local library then get back to the vacation. Your quality of life, and traveling companions, will thank you.