Take Your Child to the Library
Did you know that February 2nd was “Take Your Child to the Library Day?” It always amazes me how few people take their children to the library. Not only that, I’m always shocked that people are unaware of all of the benefits and services that local libraries provide. Last year I was at our local grocery store getting my son adjusted in the grocery cart when I overheard a woman talking to her two young girls over by the Redbox machine. The girls were upset that the machine did not have the specific movie that they wanted available. Generally, I hate to butt in however I felt bad for the girls so I told the mother that our library had a copy of the movie and that not only could they check it out for free but that they could borrow it for a whole week rather than just one night! The mother looked at me like I had three heads. She wanted to know how much it cost to get a library card. As an English teacher by trade, part of me wanted to die… I have lived in several states and I have yet to discover one that charges for a library card! Technically, I suppose that you do pay for a library card as a tax paying citizen but as long as you are a resident, a library card is FREE. Not only that but many libraries now have reciprocal borrowing policies now, meaning that you can use the card from your home library at other libraries in your state.
After running into so many moms who had no idea about what our library offered I was inspired to join our library advisory board and now, to write this post. Do you know what your local library offers? The library in our town offers a multitude of services 100% free to our towns’ residents. Besides books it also offers DVDs, digital magazines, e-books, genealogy resources, several weekly children’s programs, an adult book club, and many free classes (including a photography class taught by a professional photographer!)
Every week I take my son to the “Mother Goose on the Loose” program for children under 5. It’s a wonderful program run by our phenomenal children’s librarian and consists of nursery rhymes, songs, dancing, a story, and even some activities which encourage both the physical and mental development of our children. We are blessed to have our children’s librarian because she truly has a special gift when it comes to connecting to children. My son loves going to the program each week and can’t wait to see our librarians. Our library has a play area for kids too and it’s one of my son’s favorite places to play. He loves pretending with the puppet theater and playing with the toys that he doesn’t have at home while I pick out new books for the week. He also enjoys making new friends with every child that joins him. I’ll admit, I have a very socially outgoing kid. I’d like to say he has grown up in the library. The building has some faults but its value extends beyond the physical building. Not only has my son developed a love for the musical aspects of the program, he has developed a love for books.
As an English teacher I could not be happier. My heart smiles every time he asks me for a new book or brings me a book and asks me to read it to him. We read books every night before bed and it’s a very special time. My son as even learned to “read” (aka he has memorized) a few of his favorite stories and enjoys reading them to my husband and I. It’s a blessing to watch and I feel incredibly lucky.
As an English teacher who has worked mostly with middle school and high school students, I have encountered so many kids who hate to read and I’d like to think that bringing children to the library at a young age might help some of that. I realize that not everyone will enjoy reading as much as I do but, I also believe that if you don’t teach a child to value books a young age that the joy will soon be lost or at least overshadowed by video games and other visual media. When a child grows up in a library, they become book lovers for life.
While you may have missed “Take Your Child to the Library Day,” it’s not too late! Are you unfamiliar with what your local library has to offer? I’d like to encourage you to find out. Don’t love what your local library has? Check out neighboring towns! It won’t cost you anything more than a bit of your time but you have much to gain.
