Libraries are great for Babies!
As a Mom the library has become a big part of my daily life. When my kids were young it was a great place to escape the long Boston winter. The kids would pull out endless books or play with the few toys. I made plans to meet friends with similarly aged kids there. Even at this early age my kids began their love for books. They already had their favorite books that we had to take out every time we went to the library.
Libraries are great for Toddlers!
As they got a bit older and I became more organized and motivated, most local libraries will have free programs for kids. These programs can range from age appropriate story hour, sing-a-longs, movies, or even books with accompanying crafts. If you have young children at home who are not in school it can be a life saver to have a regular activity during the week for everyone to look forward to. As a stay-at-home-mom - I felt much happier and in control when we had a real schedule which involved actually getting out of the house and seeing other adults!
Libraries are great for Young Readers!
Now that I have a 2nd grader who loves to read, we go to the library often to make sure he can devour the next book in Captain Underpants, My Weird School, Lunch Lady or whatever series he is into. For my "almost" reader - it is so important to give him confidence, independence and interest in books and the library. Right now my kids favorite thing to get from the library is books on CD? My local library has a huge variety of age appropriate books on CD. My oldest would always rather listen to a book on CD when we are in the car. Even when we are at home he finds it most relaxing to listen to a book on CD and play legos.
Libraries are great for Adults!
The more children I have the less "stuff" I want in my house. I am a big believer of de-cluttering. The less junk we have roaming around the house the easier and faster it is for us to clean it up. As an adult I don't need or want any more books! I would rather fill my bookshelves with a few precious books, picture frames and mementos rather than discarded novels. For a while I would request books online from my library. This wasn't the perfect solution for me because I would have to wait - pick-up the book - read it in 2-3 weeks and get it back before a started accruing a fine. Once I discovered I could borrow e-books from the library for free I never went back to paper books. With your library card, you can borrow free e-books from your local library. I read these books on my kindle. They can be also read on a smart phone or computer.
Tips
- Fines for overdue or lost books is the biggest issue with the library. I have been trying to designate a specific shelf for library books to help stop them from getting mixed in with the books we own. I also try to encourage the kids to take 1 book at a time into their room for the same reason.
- Sign up for email alerts. I get an email notification when books are about to be overdue. This will help with avoiding fines.
- On many local library websites there is a section for recently returned e-books. Your library will still have a finite number of copies of each e-book. This has to do with licensing deals with the book publishers. This can be frustrating if you are looking for a specific book. If you really want a certain book you can place a hold on it, and you will be sent an email when it is available. If you want to read a book now check out the available now section or recently returned. Remember you can usually take out 5-10 e-books at a time.
- E-books will still have a loan time, usually 2-3 weeks. When the time is up the book is zapped away from your account. The best part is - no late fees! My best trick: if you are not yet done with the book, turn off your wifi (if you are using a kindle or similar device). The book cannot be zapped away unless you are connected to the wifi. For right now, there are no late fees associated with this. Make sure not to turn your wifi on until you are done reading!
