Real Stories

The library is one of the greatest assets that a community can provide for families.   Where else can you go and find rows and rows of books, access to computers, DVDs, music, games for kids, and activities and programming designed to educate and entertain?!   And, the best part of all of this is that it is free!   Before my children were school-aged, I treated the library as their school.   We would go once a week for storytime and to check out a new stack of books.   Reading has always been a key part of my husband’s and my interaction with our kids, but when you read to 3-5 children’s books to your kids every night before bed, you go through a lot of books.   Thanks to the library, we were able to keep the reading fresh and interesting.   

Nowadays, our trips to the library are equal parts education and entertainment.   My children flock to the computers in the children’s library to play games.   They use the library’s menagerie of puppets to put on shows.   They play games and pick out movies to take home.  And, of course, we are still taking home books.  Whenever my children have a new interest, whether it be butterflies or volcanoes or Star Wars, we know we can go to the library and find a multitude of books on that subject to feed their curiosity.  

As adults, we reap some of the same benefits from the library that the kids enjoy.   I use the library to borrow books that support my interests and to borrow movies, including older or less popular movies that the rental boxes at the grocery stores don’t carry.  The library’s free Wi-Fi connections has also given me a quiet place to work.   

Each of us found our own path to the library.  The Mom is what you’d call a bibliophile; she loves books and the library.  Her relationship began 36 years ago when Miss Bennett invited the children to storytime. The Mom sat down on the rug and proceeded to take her shoes and socks off –she’s been that comfortable with the library ever since. The Dad took a little coaxing. Once there he was pleasantly surprised “there were other dads, with kids! In the wooden boat reading, in the willow tree house playing, and browsing, like me.” Just like the willow trees in the library’s garden, The Sisters grew up in the library. The Big Sister and The Little Sister learned how to write their names with a simple process in mind: to get a library card, a patron must sign the card. The librarians were eager to help the fledgling library lovers begin their own relationship with the library. We wonder who enjoyed the experience more, the girls or the librarians.  Perhaps it was equal.

A visit to the library is usually a family affair. One member announces, “I need a trip to the library,” then a chorus of “me, too!” rings through the house. The library is a simple solution for families in our big, fast, ever-changing world. Sure you’ll be met with the quiet of books, but you’ll also find the hush of children’s voices, free concerts, access to the Internet, e-books, movies and music. As if by magic, time slows down at the library, and if that is not enough, the library also comes with librarians and volunteers, many smiling, all ready to help you navigate the library and find your own way to enjoy it, like a duck to water.

The Big Sister (Nadia Daniels Moehle), The Little Sister (Sonja Daniels Moehle), The Mom (Amy Daniels Moehle), and The Dad (David Moehle) started The Books for Walls Project in April 2010. Our website was created to support literacy, libraries and book love. www.booksforwallsproject.org
 

Going to the library is my kids’ favorite rainy-day activity.  And since we live in the damp Pacific Northwest, we go often! 

Our trips to the library began when the boys were little and we went to the weekly baby and toddler story time with the children’s librarian.  It was a great way for us to get out and meet other parents with young kids, some of whom have become good friends. 

Now that our kids are a little older, we still go every week or so to pick out some new books, play with toys and check out the library fish tank.  Aside from the obvious benefit of all the great reading material we could possibly want, I have come to appreciate the library as a way to connect with our larger community – a community that values reading and learning.
 

Laura Curley of Chicago got her son a library card as soon as the 3-year-old could write his name. She’s grateful for the wealth of knowledge the library offers her now 4-year-old son, who favors authors Roald Dahl and Mary Pope. But Curley is especially thankful for the Chicago Public Library’s Kraft Great Kids Museum Pass program, which offers free family passes to multiple Chicago cultural institutions.

“To me, it’s one of the greatest things the City of Chicago has ever conceived,” she says.

Because her family lives in the suburbs, Curley says without the passes they would probably only make the occasional trip downtown. But the Kraft museum passes have allowed them to go to the Art Institute of Chicago three times and the Adler Planetarium a dozen times. They’ve also visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Brookfield Zoo.

“Without that library card, there’s no way that he would get that constant exposure,” Curley says. She appreciates being able to take her son multiple times to places such as the Art Institute. “It’s a neat feeling to be able to provide for your child and not have to worry about being able to afford it,” Curley says.

Now her son knows where everything is at the Art Institute and has recently taken up an interest in the impressionists.

“When my son started talking about Monet, I was happy I could take him to see it in person, rather than in a book,” she says. “He was star-struck!”