Do you take your children to the local library?

[Legacy]

We go most Wednesdays, and I'm always amazed by how few parents and children there seem to be there.

Libraries are such a fantastic FREE resource, I often wonder what it is that stops parents from going?
Is it

• habit (i.e. were never taken as a child)
  
• convenience
  
• location
  
  ??
  
  I just love it, 'cos the children feel that they aere 'getting something new' each week without me having to pay for it, it's obviously good for their reading/ education, and you don't end up with trillions of books all over the house. (We still buy books, but more often it's after first finding a type/ author through the library).
  
  Anyway, if you want to get into the habit, I picked up a leaflet about a summer reading challenge kicking off all over the country from next weekend for the summer holidays - it's called The Big Wild Read, and kids can register for it, aim to read 6 books over the summer hols, and then get some goodies/ prizes etc.
  
  More info here: The Big Wild Read

[EricGallagher]

Yes I take my DC all the time, at least once a week.

It's free for a start! That always helps

[IdrisTheDragon]

I take DS and DD quite often .

[DrNortherner]

Yep we go every week. We are lucky we have a big one in town, but the area I liev in has a small library next to teh church and it's fab. We're often the only folk there.

I know a woman who refuses to let her kids touch library books cause she does not nkow wher they have been.....

[hermykne]

absolutely its free and a great way to pass a couple of hours, kids love it too.

[Quattrocento]

Well I will tell you what stops me taking mine to the library if you like. The problem is one of time. Not inclination. Am very bookish myself and read literature so would love to have time to take DCs for a meander around a library every week.

Unfortunately i work every day during the week. Saturdays they have swimming and tennis and people come round blah blah. Libraries are not open on sundays. So I simply don't have time.

[funnypeculiar]

we don't make it every week (not least becuase ds ALWAYS needs a poo the minute we get there and there are no public loos!!) - but go at least every month or so (usually about a week after the books are due back...)

[sidge]

We go LOADS! Always do the summer scheme, and they often do arty-crafty type activities in the holidays and half terms as well. All free! Bonus!

[twinsetandpearls]

yes we go on the day I collect her from school. If the weather is nice we have a picnic in the library garden ( by picnic I mean a sandwich, some fruit and a drink from th village) and then dd runs about while Iread the paper. We then go in the library together before calling in at the park on the way home. It is dd favourite day of the week and all free-bar the food obviously.

[pyjamaqueen]

I used to take mine, years ago, but in the end I had to ban them from going there as we kept losing the books and getting huge fines. Cheaper just to buy them the books!

[newlifenewname]

We go, but if there is one thing that ever stops me it is my knowledge of my own complete inability to remember to take back library book son time. So, right now we are avoiding because we have a rather gargantuan fine to pay . Otherwise we'd have been in there every rainy day lately.

Oh, and parking - makes it rather less than free unfortunately.

[RoundTheBend]

I take my AS son every Saturday. Because he has AS, he is given an ACCESS card. This basically means that he can hire PS2 games, videos, DVS's for free. I did not know anything about the ACCESS card, it was the librarian that told me! He has to go every week, it's part of his routine you see. Has saved me an absolute fortune.

[supertrouper]

my 2 DS's love going, they think its a treat!

[twinsetandpearls]

I never borrow books as we loose them but we still go in and read,

I was oncefined £50 fo loosing a Sylvia PLath book, as if reading the book was not depressing enough!

[paddingtonbear1]

Yes I take dd every couple of weeks - it's great. I've only been fined a couple of times so far, which is a miracle as I'm not very organised!

[Legacy]

Don't know if this is true for all libraries, btu we can renew our books online? means the fines don't build up. (I thought children's fines were quite low anyway?)

I was amazed that all the audio books are free - the DSs love those, and they're great for holidays (ahem - especially CDs to add to the odd MP3 player )

[Legacy]

supertrouper - it IS a treat!

[Hulababy]

Used to when DD was younger and we lived in the city centre. We would go to the parent and toddler session sometims on a Monday for stories, songs and craft activites. Never took books out though as we never remembered tor eturn them.

We don't go now and DD doesn't take books out of the school library either. We do, however, have literally hundreds of books at home. I buy so many - one of those things I feel the ned to buy all the time

[pirategirl]

HI, yes you can request a pin number from your librarian, to use to renew online. my mate told me about it, and as fines start when they r 5, ( my dd just turned 5)then its worth it for me. I always get the day wrong, so now can renew easily.

also, re, libraries and children needing the loo. This happens almost every time. If your child had consitpation, take them to your local library, ---bound to happen.

[Jas]

We are regulars at our library. Childrens tickets don't get fined for lateness, and I've always found that lost/damaged/totally destroyed books have been let off without charge with an apology.

DD2 once left all her (brand new, she was the first to borrow) books out overnight in the rain[blush

Also been doing the summer holiday things since before they could read.

[madness]

well, we don't pay if just late but do have to pay if lost forever.

Amazes me as well, they do story telling crafts etc all for free.

BTW, my mum never took me to a library, because of the risk of getting tuberculosis (she was a medic....)

[Legacy]

madness - my mum was a nurse, and she used to have plastic covers to put over our library books at home !

[Jas]

Obviously fining varies by area. It looks like we are just lucky.

Our library is also a great source of books to buy. Old books are sold at about 10 each!

[Jas]

Obviously fining varies by area. It looks like we are just lucky.

Our library is also a great source of books to buy. Old books are sold at about 10 each!

[clumsymum]

YES YES YES

In Notts children aren't fined for overdue books (nor are disabled people, so we win both ways), and we just love going, and bringing home different books/dvds (we pay 50p a week for those).

Actually DS often brings back a book he's borrowed before (esp where's wally) but I think that's fine, as long as he's happy.

I do worry tho about how often I catch the librarians out with my 'odd requests', they had never heard of Hilaire Belloc, and apparently all the Captain Pugwash books which are in the county catalogue have been archived, so we can't borrow them .