Hooray for Howard County Libraries

One of the finest community services available in Howard County is the public library system.  It's ranked first for its size in the nation for 2008, an accolade that's well deserved, in my opinion.  Our family is a frequent user of the library, but I'm continually surprised at the depth and quality of resources available, all for free.  It's worth taking a refresher tour once in a while to find out for yourself.

You expect a great selection of books in all sorts of categories, but there's also a terrific assortment of music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks available.  If a particular title is not on hand at your branch, it's easy to transfer from other branches.  For more obscure titles, the librarians can help locate them in other Maryland library systems or beyond.  We once requested a hard-to-find detective novel and within a week or so we had it in hand via a library in Idaho.

The library website is particularly rich and getting better.  You can search the entire catalog and request or renew titles from home at any hour of the day.  We particularly like the "My List" function that acts like a wishlist of items we hope to get to sometime.  I've recently found the Highly Recommended section very helpful -- it's actually a staff blog written by various library employees.  It adds a little local personality that's fun.

There are also lots of classes and events at the various branches, with a good searchable calendar online.  Each branch has plenty of computers with free Internet access, and free Wifi, too.  And on top of it all, the reference librarians, circulation staff and volunteers are almost always friendly, informative and helpful.

The Howard County Library is a great place to spend some time, either in person or online.  If you're not already a regular user, you're missing out.  If you are there regularly, take some time to explore and you'll probably be surprised what else you'll find.

British American Auto Care

British American Auto Care is a perennial winner of "Best Place for Auto Repair" awards from Columbia and Howard magazines, including the most recent in 2008. The magazine endorsements encouraged me to try them several years ago and I am now a hearty convert.

The world of auto care is largely a mystery to me. I just like to get the necessary maintenance done with a minimum of fuss and no hard-sell surprises. The folks at British American, starting with owner Brian England who's often there himself, are friendly, concerned and knowledgeable. They generally know you'd prefer to be almost anywhere else than having to get your car fixed. They try to make the process about as painless as it can be, and are tolerant of dumb questions from folks like me (they don't call 'em idiot lights for nothing).

I also like that Brian and his company appear dedicated to the community and the environment. British American has a focus on hybrids and recycling, highlighted at its alternate web site, Go Green Car Care. Brian is also a director of the Howard County Citizens Association and a member of the Columbia Association Watershed Advisory Committee.

If you're fed up like I was with the indifferent service and high prices of regular auto dealers, I bet you'll like British American, too.


If you're still looking for other car care places, the Honorable Mentions in the 2008 Howard Magazine reader poll were Hillmuth Certified Automotive, Harper's Farm BP, and O'Donnell Honda.