Did you know that this last week was National Library Week? I didn't, until today. So, my Aloha Friday question is in honor of this.
Do you use your local library? How often?
I hardly go to the library at all any more. Of course, we went quite a bit when the kids were younger. When they were really young, we'd make it a weekly trip and check out all kinds of books. As they got older, their books were either bought for them or taken from the school library. And by the time they hit high school, we (or they along) only went in when they needed to do research. The last time I visited the library down the street was to vote, back in November.
All that said, I do love the library. I have fond memories of visits to the library with my siblings. The musky smell of countless pages, the excitement of searching out that one or two perfect books, and the thrill of taking a new read home and transporting myself to another place.
This post makes me think about what I wrote in my previous post about teens and their reading habits. My brother, a principal in a small Christian school in California, wrote a wonderful comment that gives us insight into the problem with this generation and their reading habits. Thank you Steve. If you get a chance, go read it.
Aloha Friday found each and every Friday at An Island Life.
14 comments:
My kids are nearly 2, so I've gone to the library with them a couple times... but I've decided that I need at least 2 pairs of adult hands to supervise them at this age so it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Last time we went was a month ago, so we're certainly due for another visit.
Before they came along I'd visit the library quite often. I'd order books I was interested in online, and go there to pick them up. I prefer doing that rather than browsing the shelves or using the library computer to look things up. Of course, I did a lot more reading then than I do now. These days I usually just read blogs and the 1 book I have to read for my book club. lol
oh yes! Weekly.
We are frequent library users for a few reasons: our kids are 7 & 11, they have assignments that require "offline resources", we have a new library in our city (and we visit all 3 of our libraries), the Accelerate Reader (AR) program in the kids' schools is a great incentive program and we're always looking for good AR books. I've also enjoyed teaching my kids how to use the library (computer lookup, Dewey decimal system, other resources) and they get excited about everything that's there. To dovetail on your previous post, I'm glad we've instituted a "reading time" each night at home, where we all read. My son is always asking me what page I'm on, what my book is about, and then we talk about what they're reading, what certain words mean, etc. They do struggle with getting into the reading time, but once we're all reading they get enraptured in their books, as I do (on YadaYada book 3 of 7 now). Also watching our sister-in-law instill a love of reading in her kids as often as I have visited their house has encouraged me to provide as much of the same opportunities for my kids, and it's so fun to now watch them "love to read books"! I hope to never lose that momentum and I pray my kids grow to be exceptions to the culture of not reading.
We get into the library a lot. The thing I love though, is the catalog online and that I can request books and then pick them up rather than trying to search for them with the kids along!!
We recently made a huge move (recently as in about 6 months ago). Before we moved, I took my son to the local public library a few times a week. It was really important for me to inspire an appreciation for literature in him. Now that we have moved, I don't really even know where our local library is! So, I guess it's a good thing we have quite the expansive library at home.
Oh baby... do I ever! I read soooo much, I have to use the library or I would be dead broke!
I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been there in a few years. They just rebuilt the place too!
Yikes!
Sad to say that I have been to the library in a long time but I plan to go more often.
I used to love going to the library. Now though, the library is almost 25 min away & I find it a pain in the butt to get there. Usually I order things from Amazon.
I <3 the library. I take JS with me regularly.
I absolutely do use the library - weekly! I especially love what we have here. It is a network of libraries working together, like interlibrary loan. I can go online and check for books I want and request them and they will be delivered to my local library.
Whenever I get a www.christianbooks.com catalog in the mail, I mark the books I am interested in and then go online to see if anyone has them. I also would go broke if I didn't have that resource. I love books!
I have since I was a kid and my mom would take me to the town library. I remember I always wanted a "Kiki" book. They were about a little girl. My mom sure got tired of reading about Kiki!!
We often lived out in the country and books were my closest "friends" at times.
When I was homeschooling we constantly used the library too.
I suppose I should say, too, that I worked in my high school library, and a public library for a year or so, and later on became a children's librarian before my son was born. So, books are in my blood!!
We were regulars when my daughter was little at the library. Then came Bode who would destroy every bookshelf he encountered. He is FINALLY at the stage where we can enjoy it again and I can't wait!
I should use the library more often. I would save money. I used to go but our town has just a little library. I have pretty much read any of the books that interest me. I buy way too many books. I would rather read than watch television. I need to go through all my books and donate a bunch of them. They are starting to pile up again.
we go to the library every 10 days...to return the videos we've borrowed and get new ones!! The kids are too hard on books right now to borrow any....and I'm working my way through reading books I own (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings) so we haven't gotten books in awhile...
oh and every summer the kids are signed up in their summer reading program...read (or have read to you) as many hours as you are years old and get a certificate and a new book!!
When they were younger and I was home we also went to the reading hour at the library weekly. you sit in a class grouped by ages and the "teacher" leads the group in songs, fingerplays and reads 2 or 3 stories. The 18-35month class was my favorite. The 3-5yr olds are fun too, but it's more independent and mom feels left out. We had a great time in the 6-18month class way back when.
sigh for the good old days.
"forward march"...I like that!
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