Did you know that there is a place of magic and wonderment right in your town? A place where your children (and you!) can be transported to far-away lands, where you can explore the world, meet famous people, and learn about almost anything you desire to?
If you haven’t guessed, I’m talking about the library.
The typical library of today lends much more than just books. Music, movies, maps, and much more are on offer at your local place of enchantment. There are computers available for use…and the main branch of the county library where I live offers sound mixing software and facilities as well. What does your library offer that’s far removed from simply lending books?
The library of my early childhood was a converted house. In those pre-ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) days, half the books were on the second floor, and there was no elevator, only a staircase, to get upstairs. I would scramble upstairs eagerly, browsing the bookshelves and coming home with my arms loaded down with as many books as I was allowed to borrow at a time. New finds, old faves to re-read—anything was fair game as long as they were books.
At some point the town built a new ediifice to house not only the book collection but now also records (remember vinyl LPs?) as well—and my borrowing increased as I tried to sate my ever-growing love of Broadway show tunes. I treasured my visits to the library, which was some 10 blocks from my home—accessible on foot if my mother wasn’t available to drive me. One way or another I got there—often!
Thanks to your local library, your child can read endlessly, even if buying him/her all the books he/she wants is out of the question. Of course Roundtable/GreatReads hopes you’ll buy lots of books from our site, and speaking personally I hope you’ll buy lots of mine. But if your child is a voracious reader, you can help satisfy her/his appetite for books without going broke. Just see to it that he/she is well acquainted with the “house of magic and wonderment” in your town: the library.