questions about rural libraries and homeschoolers
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:54 am
Our library put together kits to go with popular children's books. They're wonderful - each one has activity sheets and directions in a plastic bag along with the book in a canvas tote. It's a great starting point for parents.
One thing I would like to see in more libraries are the childhood education books (most of the 370-372s) and the parenting books moved to the children's area. We don't always have time to look for books for ourselves, and it's a bit daunting when trying to take young children away from the cheerful children's section to the adult section. They squirm and fuss and we end up harried and frustrated. Having even just a rotating display of a few parenting/education books in the children's section would make a difference!
Our library also tends to have major programs (Seussathon, Pawsitive Reading) go on all day, but I'd love to see some multi-age presentations at lunchtime that the adults and children could enjoy. Granted, most libraries don't get enough traffic during the day, but if you did then something like presentations from local museums or storytellers from the area would make a difference. Even getting the highschoolers involved in coming to tell stories or put on a storytelling workshop once a year, offering a games club, or some such thing would be nice.
One more thing - if there's a jr. friends program, I'm sure many homeschoolers would enjoy signing up for it. They would be able to volunteer their hours during the week, as opposed to weekend or summer only.