April 8-14 is National Library Week, an annual celebration of the work of libraries. Not only a place to borrow books, libraries lead their communities through the services, programs and expertise they offer. Are you utilizing the many resources available to you?
Holly Hartzler, a mother of three young children, remembers the best new-mom advice she received when faced with a parenting concern: go to the library and compare all of the books on a particular subject, then choose the advice that seems to most resonate with you.
Storytimes for babies on up are a favorite way to begin a love for learning, with books and music, arts and crafts, and a space for kids to play.
Homeschooling mom Susan Sedenik doesn’t think she could homeschool without the library.
“I love the quiet space where my kids discover subjects they didn’t even know they liked — medical books, learn to draw, historical fiction, audio books,” she says. “Besides the books, the library is where we go for tutoring and over the past 10 years, I have made use of the meeting rooms for vegetarian outreach nights and for homeschool get-togethers.”
Look for a program guide or go online to find out what is happening at your library each month. A quick perusal of the libraries finds everything from art classes to cake decorating, writing clubs to robotics, plus magic, coding, crafts and comic books for kids. There are after-school events and homework help. Libraries continue to evolve with new technology, making resources more accessible than ever.
Hey, Grownups!
Don’t miss out on classes for adults. Topics range from gardening and free tech training to personal finance, author visits and help doing your taxes.
