Raise your hand if you're weary of hearing about our woeful economy and the negative ramifications it's having for everything. "Everything" includes our shrinking disposable incomes and, in this case, our growing inability to spend as much as we used to on books, film and music.

Yeah, these are hard times. Even so, those of us who love to read, watch movies and hear our favorite bands can find ways to enjoy our media for free or for less-than-market price.

We've explored the surface of the "save-on- media" subject and come up with a few strategies to consider, if you haven't already. Think of this mini-report as a signpost to places you may want to literally or virtually explore.

Go. Discover. Save money and time.

Your local library

Public libraries are a trove of free-media treasure. In our pursuit of the written word, it's easy to overlook them as sources for free reads.

"A library card is the key to a whole world of (no-cost) traditional and electronic books," pointed out Don Burns, public information coordinator for the Sacramento Central Library.

These days, libraries go far beyond books. The extent of their services and programs varies from county to county, but there are more similarities than differences between them.

For instance, at the Sacramento Central Library and its 26 branches, you can:

• Borrow books from a catalog of 476,443 titles (about 2 million books).

• Borrow books on cassette tape and CD.

• Borrow movies on DVD and VHS.

• Borrow music on CD.

• Borrow a Playaway, a portable, pre-loaded digital audiobook (think iPod) you can listen to while on the Stairmaster or waiting for the bus (supply your own earphones).

• Access books, movies and music for download to home and laptop computers (PCs for now, with Mac compatibility coming soon), and transfer the music to some brands of MP3 players. If you lack the software to do downloading, you can download it from the library's Web site, www.saclibrary.org.

"You can access our Web site and catalog from anywhere that has Wi-Fi," Burns said. "You can be at the Denver airport waiting for a flight and download a movie or e-book to pass the time."

Then there's this: Recently, the Yolo County Library system debuted its "Read Around Yolo" (RAY) program. The purpose is "to encourage the formation of new book clubs throughout Yolo County."

Here's how it works: Choose one of 30 fiction or nonfiction titles (with more to be added) for your book club, visit any of the seven Yolo County branch libraries and pick up a RAY book club bag. In it, you'll find 10 paperback copies of the book you chose, plus guides on how to start and maintain a book club. You can borrow the books for 60 days. You must be a Yolo County Library system cardholder to participate.

Questions: How do you know what the titles are, and how do you know where the branches are? Find out at www.yolocountylibrary.org, or phone the Davis branch at (530) 757-5593, ext. 3.

The key to taking advantage of libraries is ownership of a library card and – in the case of the Sacramento library system – an online visit to www.saclibrary.org.

A library card is free to any California resident. To get one, you need a photo ID and proof of address. You can fill out an online application at the Web site, but you'll ultimately need to visit a library and deal with an employee. To use the electronic services offered at the Web site, you'll need your library card number.

If you have questions or difficulty navigating the site, call (916) 264-2920 and a reference librarian will assist.

Also through the library ...

Visit the Web site to register for the e-mail blast of Library News. Attached to the e-mail will be a PDF of the newsletter, which you can print out. It lists hundreds of library-sponsored events.

"Between all of our branches, we offer more than 1,500 programs a year," Burns said, "from discussions with authors to tips on traveling abroad."

Call The Bee's Allen Pierleoni, (916) 321-1128.