RAR #11: Using the Library Without Losing Your Mind, Jamie Martin
What keeps you from making the best use of your local library? For me, it’s the likelihood of losing my sanity. :)
On this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival, Jamie Martin- editor of Simple Homeschool and blogger at Steady Mom– shares a perspective that we can use the library in any way that fits our family right now, in the season we’re in.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- some strategies she’s used for using the library without getting overwhelmed
- how she’s formed a relationship between her kids and her local librarians
- and about how the way we use the library can change and evolve over time
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Links from this episode:
- On Why I Stopped Taking My Children to the Library
- Why We Won’t Be Signing Up for the Library’s Summer Reading Program
- My What’s Working Now posts (it constantly changes!)
- Jamie’s posts about how the Little House books have had an impact on her family
Jamie’s Books (I’ve read and enjoyed all of them!)
I joined your program this year! I just started looking around with my membership, its Sunday and I thought I would listen to a few podcasts to see what all was going on in RAR and I chose this one as my second and this is perfect for the season of my life! I need to take advantage of this right now. Going to the library alone, this is what we need right now. Our little man loves books from the library but, he doesn’t have the patience right now to stay there with me and look for my own books! This is perfect thanks for sharing!
So glad this episode was a help!
How do you decide what are twaddle books? I am new to making read aloud a part of our family. My kids are 17m, 16f, 10f, 9f, 4f.
Colleen–have you gotten to look at the RAR Book List? Lots of suggestions there!
This podcast was very encouraging to me. I struggle with going to the library with my 4 and 6 although they are much better now. I have done the “fire drill” trip where I run in and pick up my books on hold and rush out. I do want my kids to enjoy the library and I probably take them 2-4 times a month. I reserve books more than I browse. But lately I’ve been letting the kids pick out books. My 6 year old has a library card because he learned to read. My 4 year old loves looking at books so she gets to check out some. I try to weed out ones I don’t want them bringing home. I do need to gather more good book lists. They love to go, but it hasn’t always been easy. Thank you!!
I’ve heard you mention audio books of the Little House series and how good they are. They are not available through our library’s online digital media or through audible. I do see a set of CDs published by Harper Children’s Audio. Would that be the set you’ve said you enjoyed?
Thanks so much. I’ve been binge-listening while I clean up the kitchen after the kids are in bed and on my commute to work.
Yep! Harper Children’s Audio are the ones! They are so good. Totally worth buying, even though they’re CDs.
Ha! We do ice cream and the library dates. They love it.
Library trips can be so draining. Thanks for tackling the topic!
I’m looking forward to listening to this new episode!
I wanted to say, after listening to about half of the podcast before getting interrupted, that I deal with twaddle with both of mine (7 and 5) by explaining that just like what we eat, we want a healthy diet of nutrient dense books in terms of vocabulary and literary quality. I might let them binge on a new series for a few weeks like when they first discovered The Boxcar Children – I don’t necessarily consider those Twaddle, but at this point they were signing out 6 of these at a time and that was like eating only broccoli all day – and American Girl was another one my DD was obsessed about.) So I might say to them, “just one Boxcar Children this week” (BEFORE we set foot in the library – when we are driving TO the library – and I get them to remind me of the expectations as we are parking). They have become good at recognizing twaddle and have become naturally good at balancing what they choose. When they were younger and they would want Thomas the Tank Engine books or a Disney Winnie the Pooh or something like that, I would say – I can read it to you here, but it has to stay at the library and I would explain to the 2 or 3 year old that there were just much better books we wanted to take home and read. I have very intense, high strung, kids who are prone to tantrums, yet they have always been really great about these library expectations for some reason. Thankfully they have never been drawn to Goosebumps, but my DD did pick up a Fairy Realm book, look at it longingly, and then put it down again. She must have just known it didn’t make the literary cut, lol.
This is turning out to be an essay, but I only allow them to pick out 4 books to sign out. We sign out over our limit and spread it out over three cards, but I put the majority on hold and am always picking up. If they come up to me with 6 books and I can see they are good choices, we will keep all of them, but allowing a lower number of free choice helps. I have also given my daughter (the 7 year old) the expectation that one of her books be a non-fiction book. I might tell her, “this week find the poetry section and choose a poetry book.” Right now she is on a cookbook kick and this week signed out two of those. Some weeks I have to say on our way to the library, “please choose a non fiction book that is not a cookbook!” :)
Off to listen to the second half. Thanks, Sarah! I intensely look forward to each new episode!
That sounds like a great system, Julie. I’m grateful that none of mine have been into Goosebumps, but I have no doubt my son would TRY to bring them home if he spotted them. Argh. I have a girl who loves a heavy dose of fairy twaddle, though. (sigh)
I’m glad you put this up already! My sister and I had just been talking about library strategies, after listening to Heidi’s thoughts.
Luckily, the library we tend to go to is fairly well laid out and has stuff for a preschooler to play with while I browse. the hard part is that the adult non-fiction is in the basement, and I don’t feel good leaving my almost-3 1/2 year old upstairs while I go down to get books or browse. We are still negotiating that. Little Man asks to go the library regularly and he does enjoy it, and since I’ve got just one right now (even though he can get out of hand, for sure), we will keep going.
I am really enjoying the podcasts and I think I got my sister listening, also. Thanks!
I love seeing your podcast banner show up in bloglovin’!! I have been following Jamie on Steady Mom and Simple Homeschool, for at least 5 years.
We would be what some might call “heavy library users”. I only have 2 kids to corral, and they both LOVE going to the library. We have always gone about once a week, sometimes more if there are kid events going on, and we have always known our librarians as well. Since we live in a small town at the tippy-top of western Washington, we have wonderful relationships with our librarians. We were a few of the families who even participated in the 4th of July Parade with the librarian group. We all dressed up as favorite characters. :) Maybe “heavy” should read “extreme”. We are moving into Canada in a week (!) and I can’t wait to check out our new local library. I’ve heard that they even do inter-library loan with the our town/county’s old library, so that is great. International libraries–love it. I worked at a bookstore for many years before having kids, and I’ve always thought it would be a great part-time job when my kiddos are older. Thanks for sharing the Roman Mysteries, and as always, thank you Jamie for being so gracious and freedom-minded in your ideas and conversations.
Sarah M
I loved working at the public library! It was such a great job. I worked on-call, in the evenings or on weekends when Andy could take over the kids. It was really a perfect fit- it wasn’t too taxing on the family and I enjoyed the intellectual conversations. People who work in libraries are so bookish. I just loved that season of life. :)