A Library Card is one of my five most invaluable items to use in homeschooling.
We are book people. When we moved, we got rid of furniture, but not books. That said, there are only so many books that one individual (in most instances) can have in their private collection. This is where a library card at the local library comes in.
When I got married, I told my dad that I didn’t know how to cook. His response was twofold. He gave me 2 recipe books from my home country, and he told me, “If you can read, you can cook.” I am thankful for his wise comment, as I have found it to be true of any subject we have encountered.
Libraries have many thousands of books on subjects outside your personal choice, making it a great place for research. The use of the library should not be replaced by the use of the Internet, but rather used in conjunction with it. Our library allows us a maximum of 30 books loaned at any time. Invariably, our library visit loans reach that limit, which lead to lists of books for a later date. The wisest nugget I found on the use of library books is that you don’t HAVE to read them all, even though you take them home with you. It is OK to return books that either you haven’t had a chance to read, or chose not to read.
Not only do libraries have their own selection of books, but many are part of a larger system of libraries allowing interlibrary loans of books. Plus, with modern technology, they usually have access to a digital version like Over Drive to download books, whether the digital book to read or the audio version, onto a device or your computer which ‘self-destruct’ (not really… they delete themselves) after a set period of time, so you don’t even have to return them like a conventional library book. I confess I am only dipping my toes into this pond, but I am sure it is more of an ocean than a pond!
The bottom line is that a library card is absolutely invaluable as a homeschool resource, and usually has little to no cost.
Start Somewhere. You never know where it will lead you!
