A Trip to the Library

With all the gadgets in my house these days (did I tell you I’m an Apple Parent!) actually reading good old-fashioned books has taken a little side step.  I mean we have loads of books in the house.  Lots are dog-eared and well read having been passed from one child to the next but recently I took the step of taking my kids to the Library!

The Library is a place I have very fond memories.  My Dad used to bring us at the weekend and we would all pop in with our little library card and peruse the shelves and sit on the tiny coloured chairs reading and checking out which books we wanted to take out.  I think we were allowed take out two or three so at age 7 it was a huge life decision!

Roll on about 30 years (ouch! – am I that old?) and the Library in my old home town is still standing – but bigger and better with a huge big extension and all full of mod cons now – wifi, DVD’s, plastic scanning library cards, online book renewals – you name it, it is there.

So almost 2 years ago (just after my baby girl was born) I took my oldest to see it.  She had just started Junior Infants so I wanted to introduce her to books and reading in the more grown up sense – picking a book by herself and learning to read it by herself too (as opposed to story time by Mammy or Daddy, picture books and touch and feel – all of which still continue).

She loved it.  Unfortunately though my old library card was a bit too old and didn’t work – systems had changed and I needed to apply for a new one which required identification and household bills which I didn’t have so we took the application forms home and decided we would go again soon.  Unfortunately we didn’t make it back for a while!

Once I took my career break last June it was something that I had in the back of my mind to revisit.  So in August I took my two oldest – now my little boy was about to start Junior Infants it was time for him to get to visit too.  This time I brought required ID and bills and we were set up with a new card in a matter of minutes.

They were so excited!  There are little tables to do colouring and so many fabulous books.  I don’t think I need buy another book again! We had an allowance of ten items so between the two of them they picked a DVD each and 5 books.  We got to keep them for 3 weeks and there was lots of reading and the DVD’s were watched a few times – although I have to say I was paranoid about sending the DVD’s back scratched and filthy from little dirty paws on them – like most DVD’s in my house!

On our trip back to bring the books back I had my third in tow who adored the library too.  I had always thought that she would be a little young and that is why I had never brought my oldest until she was 4 but my little 1-year-old sat on the colourful little seats screeching with delight – try telling an excited 1-year-old that you are supposed to be quiet in a library!!

So this time the full allocation was taken out and we are working our way through them.

 

The library we go to is not in our town – but my original home town about 15 mins drive away but I have heard a new library is going to open in our local community centre (once they sort out the staffing!) so we will be a 5 minute walk away and our library card will work for that library too!

I really look forward to more family trips to the library and a life long love of all things books and reading related.  Although knowing my kids they will be reading books on the iPad before I know it!