Confession: I have a crush on the library. Yes, the library, our library, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. I think about it when I’m away from it. I plan ways I can go to it and spend time there. I brag about it to my friends and family.
Why? Because I believe there is enough to go around and that your life can be just as enriched as mine. Permit me to tell you a few reasons why I am in serious like with the local library:
1. An oasis in the chaos.
Your local library branch offers a quiet refuge in the busyness of life. Tables in the children’s departments are set up with coloring pages and crayons. Computers at small tables are equipped with headphones and kid friendly programs. The librarians in the children’s sections are eager for you and your tykes to come in and check out some books and even movies. Whether you are staying at home and anxious to get out of the house or on your way home from work and school, the library is open and available.
2. An awesome place for activities.
Your local library branch also provides multiple opportunities for your children to learn and create each month. Whether it is story time or arts/crafts or special presentations, the library branches consistently have activities that, we, as mothers, can take advantage of and joyfully observe our children learning and creating. I have taken my sons to a Lego build, a science play, the mobile zoo, movie days, and story times. My four year old still talks about the owl and alligator he saw at the mobile zoo presentation. You, too, can find great opportunities just by accessing the library’s Kids calendar or by heading straight to our calendar for our top picks each month.
3. An unexpected outdoor movie theater.
The Main Library at Goodwood presents outdoor movies during the spring and summer. I particularly love this event because it combines the beautiful architecture and setting of the Main Library with a personal favorite: cinema. People bring snacks and folding chairs and spread out all along the plaza. We have attended The Princess Bride and The Sandlot features and enjoyed both immensely. This library feature really highlights community and family entertainment. (They are also pretty great hosts for a pretty fun dance party.)
4. An incredible resource for free literature.
So, for my reading and audiobook fans, not only does the library house countless books in print that you can check out for FREE, but also electronic access through the app Overdrive. Yes, the app. You can access audiobooks and e-books that you can borrow and download on your phone for three weeks at a time. How awesome is this? Just a few taps on your smartphone and you have a book to read or listen to on your phone at your disposal! Y’all, when my friend shared this with me, it was like an entire treasure trove just discovered. Overdrive Link
5. Endless access to education and literacy for your kids!
Our frequent trips this summer established a consistent routine for us. We stop by the library about once a week now. My four year old loves to check out books and movies. Because the movies are due back in one week, we have to stop by and return them. We have an agreement that for every movie he wants to check out, he has to check out a book. As he looks, though, he finds more and more books to bring home. He often staggers out the door with his arms full of books and a couple cartoons. I can’t tell you how much this makes my heart swell. We have many books at our house that we have purchased or others have purchased for us, but I find the communal aspect of sharing books so awesome. We get to teach our kids about nurturing a love for reading as well as participating in one of the best community institutions we have.
So, there you have it, ladies, my reasons for crushing on our East Baton Rouge Parish Library. My boys have picked up on my affection for the library. They ask to go eagerly and often. My little two year old has his own term of endearment, and he has named it the “birary.” It is just the cutest thing when he pipes up from the backseat pleading, “I go to birary, Mama. We going to birary?” The answer is either, “Yes!” or “Soon!”
My encouragement to you is to get to your local library as soon as possible and just wait for the crush to develop. It will happen! Then feel free to let us know here at RSMB just what you are loving the most about your local branch.
