The Public Library

One resource for homeschooling that I have really come to appreciate is the public library. At least here in Madison County, Alabama, the county library system is incredibly underutilized by the public. I have to confess, I didn't use it much either prior to homeschooling. I occasionally attended the story hour for preschoolers and toddlers when my kids were younger, and have on occasion taken advantage of library events for kids. These events are fairly well-attended, but I hadn't used the library much to check out actual books for a while. I've always in theory favored the idea of public libraries, but I must admit I had come to consider the library to be something that I had outgrown. With the advent of the internet, seldom would I actually need to drive all the way to a library to research anything minor, and between gifts, used bookstores, and simply being an adult with enough income to purchase my own reading material. Of course the library holds a bit of antiquated magic and I would take my children there for a token trip once in a while, but ultimately I remained unconvinced that the responsibility of returning books downtown was worth it for children's books that are read in a fifteen minute session.

Once I began homeschooling, I began to look at the expense involved in providing my early reader with ample and diverse reading material. This expense is magnified by my decision to embrace literature-based education for early social studies and science. I could hardly justify the purchase of so many books when they could be borrowed for free.

I quickly learned that the library no longer requires me to look through a dusty card catalog or even wait my turn to use a public computer. Not only does the public library have an online catalog with details and pictures to rival that of Amazon (ok, not quite, but more than you might expect), but I can put a hold on any available item in the entire county library system, and apparently magical book elves (also known as underutilized library workers) will locate them and transport them to any branch of my choosing for pick-up. They even call me when the material is available - usually no more than a few days. I can't get that kind of service at Border's.

Last fall, I took my Girl Scout Troop to the library for a tour. There is a very bright-eyed youth librarian who was extraordinarily helpful. I wonder if she'd accommodate some homeschool book discussion groups?