The Library Snob-Part 2 (And More New Library Fun!)

            Hey folks! Thanks for coming back for Part 2 of "The Library Snob"! In case you missed last week's post, you can catch up HERE.

The Children's Section

             It was snack time after prizes and that was pretty much it since we got there so late. We had to stick around and play some more in the children's section afterwards, of course. For being a smaller library (Linton's population is roughly 5,200), I thought they had a good selection of toys for kids to play with. (This is something I always look for. How many toys/activities are there? What kinds of toys do they have? Are both of my kids going to be entertained and for how long? Lol)

As you can see, they both found things to keep them entertained. :) They both loved that alphabet thing in the middle.

Myka really wanted to get in this little playhouse/treehouse thing, but was scared to climb in it at first. Only took her half an hour once more kids started playing in it to go in there! ;) She still had to have help to get out. :/ And to think she wants John to build her a treehouse at home!

We even had a Very Hungry Caterpillar sighting, which was cool because that's what book we are covering in the Monthly Crafting Book Club this month! (Check back on the 25^th this month for that post!)

And this, right here, almost made me weep with tears of joy: They have a lot of their books categorized by theme! The nerd in me cannot completely convey how awesome and exciting this is! But I'll sure try. ;)

First of all, most of the time when we go to the library, it's to get books pertaining to whatever we're learning about for school. Since we're doing preschool and usually focus on one theme at a time, it's pretty specific subjects. It didn't take me long to discovery that our library in Spencer is not very helpful. I prefer to look for things myself when I can, but half the time I can't find the books I'm looking for there, even when the computer says they're checked in. Occasionally, I will ask the librarians if they can locate it if it's something I'm really wanting to check out, but every time they just “look it up” on their computer and say “Oh, it must be in the Book Mobile.” Um, you wanna bother looking for it there at all? Because, you know. You guys are SO BUSY! (For the record, I've had ONE girl offer to look for something in the Book Mobile for me...And it was still an unfruitful search, but at least she made an effort!)

Two: I have two kids. Unfortunately, I do not have chameleon eyes. It is harder than hell trying to look for books and keep an eye on two kids, especially the little monster now that she can walk! Time is of the essence when searching for books, whether they're for school or just for fun!

Three: I started writing this post a few days ago and forget exactly what 3 was, but basically this makes my life so much easier! The themes they had seemed to be perfect for us and preschoolers in general, with categories such as weather, birds, cats, etc. I can just grab and go and be done with it, leaving me more time to play with the kids...

Which is great because that's another struggle of the library. There usually aren't many, if any kids, when we go, so Myka bugs me constantly, wanting to play toys with her. Which is fine, but I like to get books first to get it out of the way and since it takes me so long, I'm usually frazzled and ready to leave by that point. :(

The Verdict

             Needless to say, we will definitely be coming back here! Again, for being a small library, I was impressed. The majority of the employees we encountered were friendly and HELPFUL. The moms and grandmas there for the preschool party were actually friendly too. When there actually ARE other people with their kids at the library in Spencer, they're usually very standoffish, for some reason. They have alternating preschool programs every Thursday morning, story time and Little Movers. Plenty of things (other than books) to keep the kids entertained. And, the cherry on top, the books being sorted by themes! 

            I also saw they have backpacks full of goodies you can rent as well that I believe are for early literacy and cover different themes. I didn't get a good look at them, but they seemed neat! Maybe we'll check one out next time since we were able to get a “reciprocal” library card there. I've never heard of these, but basically, since we are in good standing at our own library, we were able to get a library card for the one in Linton as well, even though we live in a different county. Awesome, right?!

             Do you visit the library often? What kind of programs does yours offer for kids? Are you a “library snob” like me? ;)