The Public Library and the Love of Reading

Public Library

We have had an extremely wet winter and this week we are expecting 5-7 more inches. Rainy days make me think of reading and reading makes me think of the public library. When children are little is the perfect time to instill in them a love of reading and what better place to do that than your local library?

Most libraries host some sort of reading program for young children. In the town where I live (Edmonton, Kentucky) little kids have been going to Story Hour for as long as I can remember. Here is a copy of their newsletter and it shows just how many events they are hosting as well as recommendations on the latest books.

My son-in-law has fostered a love of reading in his children by taking them frequently to a library in a nearby town, Glasgow, Kentucky. They also have a newsletter filled with activities.

Not too long ago one of my grandsons was featured on the front page of a local paper. His father had taken him to Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library and he was building a circuit, which is pretty amazing since he is only 4 years old.

We also are within 45 minutes of Warren County Public Library which has 4 branches and frequently hosts authors of popular novels. Here’s the blurb about one of my favorite authors, Greg Iles, who is visiting there in March. I’m planning on going and can’t wait to get his latest book!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles will speak at the Bob Kirby Branch on Monday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m. He will discuss his new novel, Cemetery Road. Iles wrote his first novel in 1993, a thriller about Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess, which became the first of twelve New York Times bestsellers. His novels have been made into films, translated into more than twenty languages, and published in more than thirty-five countries worldwide.  (from the Warren County Public Library website)

Libraries and books aren’t just for rainy days, of course, but there is just something special about snuggling on the couch with a good book when the weather is nasty outside. No matter what the weather is like where you are visit your local library and see what’s going on. You might be surprised at how they have changed.

One thing hasn’t changed though and that’s the importance of teaching our children and grandchildren to love books. Read to them often and let them see you reading for pleasure too. We teach by example!

Do you think we utilize our libraries enough? Do your children or grandchildren go to the library? Tell me about your memories of going to the library as a child?