Friends of Library

It is really sad that in the 21st century a vast amount of children are leaving school unable to read properly or without the patience to sit with a book. Books open the mind to wonderful worlds of imagination. They also teach social skills and are beneficial in extending a persons knowledge of subjects worldwide.

Children should be introduced to books before they are capable of reading. By doing this and sitting to read with a child, the relationship between reader and listener will be strengthened. Dads are probably busy during the day but if they can spare 30mins in an evening to read to their children then the daddy/child bond will be built stronger.

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Before I begin this polemic, the subject of which will be study-packs etc, let me clarify what I mean by the term study-pack: a study-pack is a staple-bound booklet made up of photocopies of articles and extracts, for use by various kinds of student. It’s difficult to say how widespread the “study-pack” is as an educational tool, but it’s probably fair to say that it becomes more common in institutes where the average student lacks the funds to start their own personal library. Many of us have dreamt of possessing those texts that we’re almost certain to need in the course of our studies; dreamt of them lying in wait for us atop mahogany shelves, warded by preternaturally insightful old librarians who wait to aid us at our convenience. They have names like Gladice and Irene. In part, the study-pack exists because, for most of us, this dream fails to materialise.

I’d say it’s even more likely to be a necessity when the institution in question has failed to keep its own library stocked with the “core texts” in sufficient quantities. Incidentally, this also raises the probability of knife fighting in the stacks, as the eager young neophytes scramble for the opportunity to lay hands on the £25 tome that they were meant to have read by the day before, and would’ve done, had the need to buy food not been quite so pressing. The modern student remains hungry for knowledge, yes, but also just outright hungry…

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With several libraries closing all across the United States and many people living in rural areas that are either far from libraries or don’t have the funds to do much, you can be the person to make a big difference in your town! Start a summer reading program at your church, a business, or even your home. Below are steps you can take to kick off a local summer reading program.

Check for interest. Chances are that you will find interested children and parents if you simply invite them. But, if you aren’t sure, ask local librarians, teachers, children, and parents before you start planning. Send out surveys if you wish.
Set dates and choose a theme or certain books for discussion. Decide if you want to encourage them to read a lot by rewarding them, or if this is more a book discussion group. Or, do both! Set up different activities and book lists for each age. Decide when it will start and when it will end (six to eight weeks is long enough for most summer readers.) Plan now, before you advertise.
Choose a meeting place. You could meet at the library, a church, or a local business with a big enough room. Get permission ahead of time, and be sure to thank the business on all the advertising materials.
Get sponsors. Contact businesses and tell them your plans. See if they will offer something to your program: monetary donations, products, meeting space, etc. Note donors on your advertisements. Send them each a thank you note when you are finished, so they know how successful the program was.
Solicit volunteers. Chances are there are a few parents, teachers, or librarians out there who wouldn’t mind helping out a little. Put them to work passing out flyers, making reading logs if you are rewarding the amount kids read, checking the kids’ reading logs, collecting products from sponsors, etc. Don’t do everything on your own, or you might not be up to doing it again next year.
Invite the readers! Design, print, and copy flyers. Give them to every school, church, youth organization, home school organization, and library within a reasonable distance.
Get ready! You will soon have a flood of young readers ready for your summer reading program. Be original and offer them something they can’t get locally. The children and their parents will thank you for putting the effort into such a worthwhile program.

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Back in the days when we pre-boomers were in school, many of us were delighted when given an assignment that required research. Even if we had the latest edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica at home, which cost our parents a pretty penny, a serious paper called for a trip to the library.

I was introduced to the local library at a young age, but didn’t appreciate what a great tool this book repository was until I became interested in the opposite sex. Throughout high school the library was a good place to meet girls. I could share a study table with them without being too obvious. Sometimes we would work together on a project and talk about elements of the topic before being shushed by the librarian for disturbing the other patrons. When this happened, it gave me the opportunity to ask the girl I was interested in to have a coke at the ice cream shop down the street. In college the same thing happened, only I’d like to think the interaction was a bit more sophisticated. If not, at least the library was larger and more information was available. Those were the days.

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