Growing up, I had no idea that most libraries do more than lend books. It really wasn't until I had kids and all my time was spent at home, in grocery stores, or at the library that this new world was opened to me.
We love our two libraries and the different things they offer. Here are a few of my favorites:
Story Time - Story Time is no secret, but one of our libraries does a fantastic job of planning and executing Story Time. They have story hours for three different age groups as well as a Spanish Story Time. They post weekly themes online, so I can know in advance what we're going to get. I would go so far as to call it an interactive show for kids. (Broadway for toddlers, if you will.) We sing, we dance, puppets are involved . . . but I'm not going to lie - it gets crowded and noisy. Some of my kids have loved it and others have been overwhelmed. There are definitely days we plan our library outing to avoid Story Time, or we opt for the smaller and mellower version at the other library. One of our libraries also offers a monthly Special Needs Story Time.
The PERC (Parent Education Resource Center) is a free lending lending library for parents offering educational games, puzzles, toys, and parenting books. It wasn't until T Rex was a part of an early intervention program for his speech delay that I learned about PERC. And I had been going to this particular library for more than 5 years!
Classes - Both of our libraries frequently offer classes to the community. In the past six months I've seen classes for gardening, writing, genealogy and acting and I'm sure there were more that I missed.
Reading Programs and Book Clubs - We sign
up for the summer reading programs at each library as soon as school
gets out, and they keep us busy all summer long! Right now, Periwinkle
and I are participating in the Mother/Daughter book club. Each month we
read an assigned chapter book together and then get to discuss it on a
special evening with the other participants before making a craft together.
This is our first month, but we're already loving it.
Special Guests and Performances - This covers so many amazing things. We've taken our family to professional puppet shows, musical performances, readings, plays, and speakers at both of our libraries. These have always been free and frequent.
Special Events - These are events that will cost some money but are so worthwhile. One library holds an annual Teddy Bear picnic. The other hosts a Fairy Tea for girls and moms and a Big Guy/Little Guy event for boys and dads. I haven't actually attended any of these events, but they are a big hit with many of my friends and neighbors. I have attended some of the events at the annual Storytelling Festival hosted by one library, and this will be my second year attending the Family Literacy Symposium hosted by the other library. I cannot say enough good about each of these events.
Book Sales - Both of our libraries sell books, magazines, movies, and music that they are taking out of circulation. One library has a little corner stocked all year long with these items, and the other hold a big annual sale. Everything is very reasonably priced (usually a dollar or less) and I feel good about my few dollars worth of used books supporting our libraries. I also donate used books and movies to the library. It doesn't happen often, but when we do part with something from our home collection it goes straight to the library drop-off.
I could go on and on, especially since I've hardly even mentioned the online resources available from libraries these days. Take some time to find out what's happening at your library. You'll likely find something you didn't expect.
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