Use your library! (Library services)

Member Name: Krystal

Product:	Library services
Date:	19/11/00 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free, fun, educational

Disadvantages: None really

As a child I visited the library regularly with my mum, but as a young adults I went less frequently. I started going again a few years ago when I had my two children, because I wanted them to enjoy books from an early age.

So we all joined, were given a library ticket each, and now we borrow books for England! There is an extensive children's section at our library, and a member of staff is always on hand if you have any queries or are looking for a particular book. Once a week they have a storytime session aimed at pre-school children, it lasts for half an hour and one of the staff reads two or three books on a certain subject. Last week all the books were about ducks. After the stories there is a craft session where the children make something simple to take home, and they also get a picture to colour in. We quite often borrow children's videos, you can keep them for 7 days and the charge is usually between 75p-£1.25.

When I was a child you were allowed to borrow 3 books per tiket, now it's 9 for an adult and 6 for a child! We haven't borrowed that many all at once yet!

My father-in-law, who can't get to his local library, asked me to get a couple of titles for him. When I enquired, they didn't have them but another library did and arranged to have them sent over for a small fee (60p).

If you want to renew a book, you can now do so by simply phoning the library. I wasn't aware of this until recently, and you can renew the same book up to 4 times.

We visit the library at least once a week, my children look forward to choosing their own books. The image of the library as being a stuffy, archaic place may remain, but it's really family friendly these days. A love of books is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children, so start today and visit your local library!

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