Wednesday, June 04, 2008

I Have a Library Card!

Can you believe I haven't used a library for over 7 years? Not since my research days at BYU? (If you can call it research, because looking through periodicals on fetal development for a few hours doesn't really qualify as "research".)

Oh, sure, I had a library card for years. I took the kids to "Toddler Time" and "Story Time" quite frequently. I think I might have checked out a child's picture book once...maybe. I'm sure this will come as a surprise to a lot of people because I'm usually a voracious reader. I love to read. I love everything there is to love about books and I've been in book clubs for years. In fact, hubby is a total Book Geek, too. We both love the written word (which makes sense as to why we love the Internet as well). But my lousy, not-so-secret secret?
I buy books.
I buy them online, or at the store, or from garage sales (rare). I love books and they love me. But I've never really used the library. Weird, eh? One would think that I would prefer to borrow books, rather than buy, just because it makes sense. Financially, I mean. You would think that, wouldn't you, dear reader? Me, too. Me, too.

Yesterday, it all changed. As part of my new-found schedule/routine, Tuesdays have two main activities: Piano Lessons (right now I'm teaching 4 students in the morning) and The Library.

True to the schedule (and my promise), I took the kids to the library. #1, #2, and I got library cards (I was still in the system! I tried not to feel guilty about the .40 I still owed, though. Oops!). We signed the kids up for the Reading Program, and then we browsed for books. We got several picture books and a board book for the younger kids, and we found The Magic Treehouse series for #1. My mom --a second grade teacher for over 30 years --had highly recommended this series. We chose one book (she wanted #35, interestingly enough!), and I figured it would take her a few days to read it.

She finished it in two hours.

Can I just say how excited I am? How proud? How thrilled that not only did #1 love her chapter book, but that she was excited about it? She didn't want to play outside, or watch TV --she wanted to read.
*sniff...she's just like her parents! Except for maybe that TV part...

I think we'll go back to the library today. #1 needs some more books, and I'm thinking I need to pick up a few for me, as well. How did I not know how wonderful this library thing could be?? I feel slightly embarrassed...

Do you like the library? Do you use it often? Do you have a good library nearby?

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah for library cards!!!

Anonymous said...

The library is where I get all my reading material.

Amber said...

I really enjoy the library. However, I have probably over $150 dollars to the library over my years as a library card holder. It's sad really. I remember as a 10 or 11 year old girl paying something like $20 in late fees for my huge stack of late books. I am no different now. So my advice to you-

TAKE THEM BACK ON TIME. :)

I'm even using my sons card right now because my card has too many late fees on it so I can't use it. :(

Books on CD are nice to listen to while cleaning. I like the YA section because they are safer. You can get fun CDs of kids music to change up the music in the car- we've even listened to some musicals! :) Have fun with it!

Desi said...

We have a nice little library within a 10 minute walk of our house and we do go there occasionally, but I am horrible...I don't like used books.

My husband gives me a hard time about it, reminding me how horrible it is, for my budget and for the environment, but who knows what the person who checked it out before me was doing (i.e. picking their nose) while reading that book.

We do go as a family and both DH and our daughter check out books, but not me...I prefer to buy.

Anonymous said...

We love the library, but don't go there often enough. It's right across the street (literally...on the other side of Redwood). But I tend to get overwhelmed trying to go by myself w/4 kids and trying to look for books for them and for me, all while making sure nobody's ripping any of them, or running away, or pulling hundreds of books off the shelf (you know, just for fun).

So I found a new system. I go online (which you like to do) and find a bunch of books for the kids and a couple for me. Then I put all of them on hold. Our library doesn't always have what we want, so they have to get it sent from another library in the county. Then I get an email when the books are in. Sometimes they come a couple of days apart, so I usually wait until they're all (or at least mostly all) there in the library. Then I go in, and go to the "holds" section and they're all sitting there waiting for me. I don't have to go searching the shelves and trying to keep track of kids. I walk in, pick up my books, check them out, and walk back out to the car.

Or some days I let the kids come in and we read together there for a while, if I feel like it. But not having the stress of finding all the books really relieves a lot of the chaos for me.

Christy said...

i love the library! but, i am also a book buyer. If someone recommends a book - i usually buy it. i go to the library to browse and find other books to buy - i usually read them before deciding if i want to add them to my library. there is nothing like a nice, quiet, peaceful place :)

Amanda D said...

I used to buy books but that isn't in the budget anymore so we use the library like nothing else. We also use it instead of Blockbuster. Our library is GREAT here. They aren't great for going in and browsing but if we browse online first I can get just about anything.

The Springville library had a pretty good summer reading program a couple of years ago...I'm hoping that the library here does too.

Magic Treehouse books are awesome! My oldest has been bringing them home since Kindergarten, and he loves them. And, I don't mind reading them to him either!

Jeanette said...

You should be embarrassed! 7 years! Sheesh-I'd be ashamed. :-) I'm just teasing because I L.O.V.E the library! Every Tuesday. I live across the street and one house down from a library but it is really small so we drive to the one about 10 miles away...And then we drive to the other library about 5 miles from that one. I am a library addict. I can't stay away from them. I have 4 library cards to 4 different libraries right now. so to answer your question, yes! I like the library. (Once upon a time I bought more books than I borrowed but we can't afford that right now. I only buy books now that I have already read and really liked.)

Mother of the Wild Boys said...

Thanks for the reminder to sign my kids up for the summer reading program...I had forgotten about that.

We used to go to the library a lot before the boys were in school and check out books. We also tried checking out DVDs for a while, but DH is so anal about "dirty" DVDs getting our dvd player all gunky that we don't do that anymore.

I too am a book buyer. I love books. I actually have a post about this coming up soon. I'll keep you posted. :)

Cristy said...

Hey! I got William a library card yesterday too! I figured it was about time he felt a little empowerment, or responsibility, or something... anyway, he thought it was cool to pick out the card and write his name on the back. When I first got my card while pregnant with Will, I checked out lots of books and read, but now I'm like you and have been buying books off of ebay. I've kind of been in collecting mode since Will was born and want to get all the books I grew up with and loved, so my kids will have them too. And it's been a good opportunity for me to re-read them. Anyhoo, sometimes I stop checking out books from the library because they always tell me I've lost a book when I really turned it in and it makes me mad...

Allie said...

I love the majic treehouse books! Is having a schedule helping you get out of your slump? Hope your doing well!

Amanda said...

Cheryl - love the blog. :) Cute family.
-Amanda Jones, new beginnings

Janelle said...

Lost books, late fees, and children pulling every book from the shelf in the children's section give me stress. Maybe one day we'll be responsible enough for the library.

Kelly said...

I'm a book buyer too. Library books creep me out, you never know who had that book before you!

Until recently, now that I have a new resolve to be a better steward of our money and now that I have discovered the request online and someone searches for it on the shelf and all you have to do is walk in the door and get it system, I'm hooked!

Yea for you. Yea for schedules too and for sticking to them!

Anonymous said...

I go through spurts and cycles with the library, but a good portion of the books I read are from the library. We have a pretty decent one. I rarely buy books for myself, but I buy a lot of books for my kids. My husband likes to buy me books, which is great. I just have to make a wish list on Amazon when any gift giving occasion approaches and voila--there the books are at my door!

tamrobot said...

jared and i just discussed using the library instead of buying books. i'm a little nervous because I've had animal farm checked out for several years now.

FoxyJ said...

My husband is a librarian, so naturally we love the library. We haven't rented a movie for years, since we just check them out. You often have to wait for the good ones, but we're patient (and cheap) like that. I haven't browsed in the library for a while since I just put stuff on hold and then go pick it up. If you live in Provo, you can also use the Orem library too and they have a great video collection. I'm pretty sure they charge a dollar per movie, though. My hubby worked for them for three years and we lived a across the street, so I got pretty spoiled.

Mother of the Wild Boys said...

Cheryl,
I forgot to mention, we started reading the Magic Treehouse books to our boys before any of them could read. That was their first experience with chapter books (at ages 5,4, and 2). We were excited that they paid attention so well to a book without (many) pictures.

Anyway, if you check those Scholastic order forms that the school sometimes sends home, they usually have really good deals on the MTH books. I know this is me being the devil's advocate and telling you to BUY MORE BOOKS...but these are worth it. So, we bought a set of books 1-8 for like $12, when at the bookstore they are like $3 or $4 a piece. After some patience, we also found books 9-16 for the same price. We have not yet seen a set of books 17-24 etc...but we'll keep looking. :D
Our #1 just finished 1st grade, and he has been reading our collection non-stop.

Richelle said...

I love the library. I take my son there every week. He loves to pick out books to bring home, too. He loves story time, too. Not only do we like to get books, but they have lots of movies, too. When we didn't have cable, I would get us a couple movies to watch and even some TV shows.

Never A True Aggie said...

I am a library lover! Actually, it helps me get a bit of a shopping fix when I have no money to spend. I find it works especially well with kids (who go through books super fast) as well as for me for my craft and cook book buying problem. Congrats on the card!

Becky said...

So glad you rediscovered the library! I work in a library, so naturally I see lots of good things come in. Unfortunately, my eyes are bigger than my stomach so to speak, and I always take too much home only to have to drag it back. I know fines are a killer - check your library's website. Often, they offer ways to renew your materials online - saving you a trip and late fees. I do understand people's phobias about used books...I'll spare you the stories of the things I've found in books people have returned! On a another note - many libraries offer ebooks - so no germs there (except for those lurking on the computer keyboard/ebook reader) :) Hooray for summer reading - those are often offered online as well these days (our library does this) Happy reading!

Jocelyn said...

We go to the library often, but only for kids' books. Why? Because I can't keep track of all my crazy little ones AND browse the grown-up section.

I finally made it to Story Time at our library this last week and we are now devoted fans. My kids love it.

And we just grab and go with books -- it's like a candy store for the kids -- they love just pulling books out of the bins and shoving them in the basket. It used to drive me nuts, but I've come to accept and even enjoy it, as we've found some pretty fun books as a result. Strega Nona comes to mind first.

And I use the online renewal a lot. It is a life-saver when I realize the books are due today and it's already 10 pm.

Oh, and our library is...decent.

flip flop mama said...

We go about once a week and get a pile of books for Rachel. I'll also get my book club books there if I know I don't want to keep it. I have a goal to have walls of books in my house when I'm older but I want them to be books I'll actually read or want my children to read. I use the library as a preview...

Amelia said...

Love the library. #1 is a voracious book reader and she's even starting to read Dick and Jane. We go to the library and get a great big stack and read 4 or 5 every night before bed and it's been great.I rarely check books out for myself unless I get the chance to sneak off on the rare occation my hubby comes along, and even more rare is buying a book for myself. I have to really want a home improvement or decorating book to spend money. That's why you renew right?